Chapter 15
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]
[Quality Checker – Kawaii]
Chapter 15: Warning (1)
Ryan bloom manor, training grounds.
Something peculiar was happening in this place, known as the best swordsmanship training ground in the Apple Kingdom.
More than ten young men stood with wooden swords, swallowing their saliva repeatedly. In the direction they faced stood a middle-aged man.
He had a robust build, but that was about it. He wasn’t particularly large or imposing.
“Is everyone adequately warmed up?”
However, despite this being the man’s routine, the young men were on edge, watching his every move intently with tense expressions.
“Then let’s begin.”
Yet, the young men still hesitated.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man clicked his tongue briefly.
“I thought you were lion cubs. But it turns out that you’re just puppies?”
The vibrant young men couldn’t remain silent in the face of such provocation.
Their gazes shifted, and one by one, they raised their wooden swords.
Amused, the man flashed a satisfied smile.
“Now that’s more like it.”
The young men charged forward with shouts, wielding their wooden swords. The man also lifted his wooden sword in response.
And in the blink of an eye, the outcome was decided.
The young men writhed on the ground, struck by the wooden swords, while the middle-aged man stood unscathed.
“You’re all quite good. I can’t afford to let my guard down now.”
At the middle-aged man’s words, one of the young men pursed his lips.
“Even so, hasn’t there been anyone who blocked Lord Ryan bloom’s strike?”
In the Apple Kingdom, those who could be called “Lord” were exceedingly rare. And among the Lords, there was only one with such skill.
Holland Ryanbloom.
The middle-aged man was the master of Lord Ryanbloom.
“It’s a matter of my dignity. I shouldn’t let myself be caught by you all so easily.”
Holland Ryan bloom chuckled softly.
“Keep progressing, everyone.”
“Yes!”
The young men rose from the ground, their voices raised.
Holland Ryanbloom left the training ground with his wooden sword in hand.
“Thank you for your hard work.”
An elderly man offered him a towel as he entered the manor.
Lord Holland wiped away his sweat and spoke, “Vincent, the knights have improved significantly. If I make the slightest mistake now, I might lose.”
At his words, the elderly man referred to as Vincent simply smiled without saying a word.
The youths who were defeated by Lord Holland were all formal knights.
Despite that, none of them could even touch the hem of Lord Holland’s garment.
However, the knights didn’t feel ashamed. This man, Holland Ryan bloom, was a formidable figure on the verge of becoming a Swordmaster.
“Have you decided on the knights to send for the duel?”
At Vincent’s question, Lord Holland fell into a brief moment of contemplation.
“There are a few decent ones, but I need to observe a bit more to be sure.”
Currently, the Lord of Ryanbloom was in conflict with the Lord of Goldpixy. A gold mine had been discovered on the border between their estates.
Both families had long been in conflict and finally decided to settle the ownership of the mine through a duel.
“The first participant has been decided, so it’s practically one win already. But I’m concerned about the other two.”
The formal knights were classified into High Class, Middle Class, and Low Class based on their skills.
For this duel, both families decided to only include three Low-Class knights from each side.
“Regardless of who we send, we’ll win, but I want to make the skill gap clear this time.”
Lord Holland’s face was filled with strong confidence.
He was indeed the one managing the best knightly family in the Apple Kingdom.
“It would have been perfect if the second young master could participate.”
“Well, I think so too. It would’ve been a great opportunity to announce his name… but his skills are still lacking.”
Second Master Erwin Ryanbloom, hailed as a genius, had not been chosen for this duel as he was still a squire. Crossing the threshold to become a formal knight was no easy feat.
“But what is Erwin doing now? I haven’t seen his face around lately.”
At the Lord’s inquiry, Vincent expressed a somewhat awkward expression.
“Well… he went to visit the Haksen family estate.”
“Haksen family? Ah, it’s because of that family’s young lady.”
The fact that Erwin Ryanbloom showed great interest in the Haksen family’s eldest daughter was something the Lord already knew.
“That lad is quite something. Taking after me, being so fond of women.”
Contrary to his words, Lord Holland had a smile on his face.
“Still, if you’re a man, it’s only natural to have such desires, isn’t it? It’s a pity that the eldest lacks in that regard.”
Unlike Erwin Ryan bloom, who showed interest in women, the first young master of the Ryan Bloom family had absolutely no interest in that direction.
“However, it seems this prank is going to be a bit prolonged. Those rural family women should be enjoyed reasonably and then discarded.”
It was when Lord Holland clicked his tongue disapprovingly.
A messenger hurriedly approached from afar.
The messenger whispered something in Vincent’s ear.
Upon hearing the whisper, Vincent’s face turned pale.
“Your Grace, the Second Young Master has returned.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Lord Holland’s face lit up instantly.
“Talk about the tiger and the tiger’s here. I must hurry and see Erwin… But why does your face look like that?”
Lord Holland asked with a puzzled expression.
“That’s… um…”
Vincent cautiously began to speak.
“Don’t hesitate, speak quickly.”
“The second young master has suffered a grave insult at the Haksen family estate.”
At that moment, Lord Holland’s face contorted like a demon.
“Erwin!”
Lord Holland forcefully swung open the door to the infirmary.
The sound startled Erwin Ryan bloom, who was crouched on the bed.
“Oh, father?”
Erwin Ryan bloom peered out from under the covers.
The skin visible beyond his clothes was covered in bruises, and there were still visible wounds on his neck from a blade.
“Father… Th-the, they tried to… k-kill me… They tried to slit my throat… with a… fork.”
What was more concerning was Erwin’s mental state.
Unable to articulate properly, it seemed he had suffered a severe psychological shock.
“Erwin! Fear not! Your father is by your side!”
Lord Holland firmly grasped Erwin’s hand, yet the trembling did not cease.
After consoling Erwin for a while, Lord Holland stepped out of the infirmary.
“Your Grace.”
Outside stood Vincent and the junior knights who accompanied Erwin.
Lord Holland glared at the squires with his lively eyes.
“What happened at the Haksen family estate?”
The squires swallowed hard and explained in detail.
As the squires continued their explanation, Lord Holland’s brow furrowed.
“…He parried an aura sword with a fork?”
Even for the High-Class warrior Holland, it wasn’t easy to fend off an aura sword with ordinary weaponry. And he managed to deflect the aura attack with a fork?
“Are you weaving false tales out of fear of retribution?”
“N-no! It’s true!”
“P-please, believe us!”
The junior knights shouted as if pleading.
Lord Holland scrutinized the faces of the junior knights and said, “Alright, step back at once.”
The junior knights bowed and swiftly left.
“Your Grace, what do you think?”
“I don’t think they’re lying.”
An High-Class individual could detect the opponent’s breath and heartbeat through their senses. By using this, they could somewhat discern the truthfulness of their words.
“However, the eldest son of the Haksen family is known for his mischief. How could a man like that…”
“Perhaps he ingested hallucinogens or poison in the tea or food at the Haksen family estate.”
At that remark, Vincent sighed. He hadn’t considered that possibility.
Erwin Ryanbloom and his guards had arrived at the Haksen family estate and were treated to tea and food. If it was spiked with hallucinogens or poison?
Even if Erwin, renowned as a genius, had been affected, he wouldn’t have been able to wield his sword properly.
“Damien Haksen likely blocked the poorly swung sword under the influence of hallucinogens or poison, and the knights must have misunderstood.”
Grim-faced, just the thought of it was enough to stir Lord Ryanbloom’s anger.
“If it wasn’t for the impending duel with the Duke, I would have personally apprehended that scoundrel.”
At this juncture, with the impending duel with the Goldpixy Duke, the Lord couldn’t recklessly leave his position.
“Send someone immediately to the Haksen family estate and bring Damien Haksen here.”
Lord Holland was usually magnanimous, but when it came to his children, he was known to become selfish. Seeing such a display of care for his children, he couldn’t stay still.
“Tie him up like a dog and bring him back. Let everyone witness his humiliation.”
“Who should we send as the knight?”
“Send Gerrick.”
At the mention of Gerrick’s name, Vincent’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
Gerrick was a Low-Class knight, exceptionally loyal within the Ryanbloom estate. Because of this, he had caused trouble several times.
Once, he had turned a group of mercenaries insulting the estate into obedient followers.
Lord Holland was well aware of this. Nevertheless, in such a sensitive situation, singling out Gerrick for this task was a blatant display of intention.
“Understood.”
Vincent quietly nodded in response.
The day after Damian Haksen exterminated the Black Serpent, someone from the Church visited him.
“Greetings, Master. I am Agnes, a paladin from the Church.”
Agnes, along with a group of knights and an investigative team, had been dispatched from the city, led by the disciple of Cheongyeom whom they had met in the city.
“Welcome to the Haksen Estate.”
“Greetings Paladin.”
Paul and his wife greeted them with visibly tense faces.
It was a natural reaction considering they were facing full fledged knights who wouldn’t hesitate to massacre if it served the will of God.
“Damien has informed us about your visit and that you will be staying in the estate for a while…”
“It’s because we have to investigate the remnants of the Dark Mage that cursed your territory. We’d appreciate your cooperation.”
At the mention of the, Master Haksen swallowed hard again.
“We have emptied the servants’ quarters, so feel free to use them as needed.”
“We appreciate your consideration. This is a small token of our gratitude.”
Agnes handed something to the Viscount.
It was a palm-sized piece of platinum. As soon as the Viscount laid eyes on it, his pupils widened.
“Oh, no, this…!”
“It’s a token of appreciation for approving the investigative team’s activities.”
The tension that lingered in Master Haksen’s and his wife’s eyes noticeably softened.
Indeed, the power of money was substantial.
“How have you been, Damien?”
Next, Agnes greeted Damien.
“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon.”
“I pursue the Dark Mages of Yulan myself hence I came to assist in the investigation.”
When mentioning Yulan, a fleeting spark of anger appeared in Agnes’s eyes. It was a momentary change that would have gone unnoticed by anyone other than Damien.
“And I have a personal interest in you as well.”
At this statement, everyone in the family turned to look at Damien.
His mother covered her mouth with her palm.
“Oh, oh, oh.”
Damien glanced at her, seemingly misunderstanding something deeply.
“I have no intention of becoming aPaldin.”
“But you never know.”
“It will never happen.”
Damien asserted firmly. Agnes instantly looked disheartened.
“Such a pity. Please, take this.”
Agnes extended two old books to Damien.
“These are the manuals you requested, specially chosen ones.”
“Why are you giving me two books?”
“One is a swordsmanship techniqe. I thought it wouldn’t match if I only gave you the absorption technique.”
While the swordsmanship technique wasn’t particularly necessary, there was no harm in accepting it.
Damien examined the covers of the two books.
‘The Unleashed Sword Of Domination’
‘The Supreme Absorption Technique’
They were sword techniques and martial arts that Damien hadn’t seen in his past life.
During his time as a Death Knight, he had directly assaulted the headquarters of the clergy. However, he couldn’t seize everything from the clergy, as everything sacred and valuable was burnt down by Dorgo himself, stating that it couldn’t fall into Dorukan’s hands.
As a result, even Damien didn’t know what lay within the clergy.
“It was challenging to procure these.”
Agnes’s words indicated that these were genuinely valuable items.
Damien expressed his gratitude while holding the books close.
“Thank you.”
“I genuinely mean it. It was challenging. There was a lot of opposition within the clergy.”
As Agnes repeated the same sentiment, Damien narrowed his eyes.
“No matter what you say, I have no intention of becoming a knight.”
Agnes’s shoulders drooped slightly.
“This is it.”
Damien guided Agnes and the investigative team to the underground hideout of the Agitoh.
As they descended into the hideout, the investigative team couldn’t conceal their surprise.
“To generate such destructive power using curses…”
“Indeed, it’s a skill worthy of a high-ranking Yuran officer.”
The team began their investigation, scattering throughout the area.
A few stayed behind and inquired in detail from Damien.
“How did you deal with the dark mage?”
Damien answered nonchalantly.
“I dodged and struck his neck, killing him.”
His response left the investigators dumbfounded. Some seemed like they wanted to question further.
“You truly are remarkable.”
However, since Agnes didn’t show any particular reaction, they couldn’t press further.
“Then I’ll be reviewing the absorption and swordsmanship techniques. Let me know once the investigation is over.”
After saying that, Damien exited the hideout.
‘I’ve concealed all traces of me using dark magic, so it should be fine.’
Damien had returned to the hideout last night to manipulate the scene appropriately.
If it were revealed that he could use dark magic, it would cause trouble within the clergy.
‘It’ll be challenging for them to find anything suspicious.’
Damien, a figure of his stature, manipulating the scene deliberately, would be hard to sense for an investigative team’s standard.
Setting his worries aside, Damien opened the books received from Agnes.
As he unfolded the pages of the manual, the inscription on the first page caught his eye.
The Galway Family.
It was a family name Damien had heard of during the time he worked as a mercenary in his previous life.
50 years ago, considering the current timeline, it was a family that had been annihilated by the clergy.
Originally, the Galway Family was a knightly lineage affiliated with the empire.
They had a Sword Master as their progenitor and had been an illustrious family, producing one Sword Master after another.
However, as the generations passed, even the High-Class Knights couldn’t emerge, and the lineage leaned significantly.
For some reason, they got involved with dark mages, which led to exposure by the clergy.
‘It wasn’t just an empty claim that it was challenging to procure.’
The technique developed by a Master class swordsman had tremendous value.
It was far more advanced than other technical books, primarily because it contained the method to become a Master class.
‘It might be useful enough.’
However, it didn’t impress Damien much.
In his past life, Damien was a formidable figure, even disparaging the Sword Masters.
The level of swordsmanship and martial arts was unseen to him.
Initially, Damien had demanded the martial arts to reference them and create even higher-level martial arts.
‘There’s nothing exceptional about swordsmanship technique.’
The ‘Unleashed Sword of Domination’ compressed magical power and released it, creating a mighty destructive force.
As there was nothing particularly special, Damien only glanced through the swordsmanship once.
However, unlike swordsmanship, the Supreme Absorption Technique was a remarkably intriguing technique.
‘The Unleashed Sword of Domination is a swordsmanship technique that consumes a tremendous amount of magical power. To address this drawback, the Supreme Absorption Technique evolved to increase the speed of gathering magical power.’
Compared to other mana gathering techniques, the Supreme Absorption Technique accumulated magical power at an incredibly fast rate.
The secret lay in drawing external magical power when operating the Supreme Absorption Technique, allowing for the accumulation of a considerable amount of magical power at once.
‘Once reaching the Master’s level, you can directly harness the surrounding magical power… that’s what’s written here.’
In essence, the Supreme Absorption Technique was a mana technique that controlled the magical power in space.
It was a much higher level of enlightenment compared to the Unleashed Sword of Domination.
‘How much range of magical power control is possible? Can it control not just natural but also the opponent’s magical power?’
Damien pondered numerous times.
In the process, he meticulously dissected the Supreme Absorption Technique, extracting what was necessary.
In the quiet forest, something was being born in Damien’s mind.
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]
[Quality Checker – Kawaii]
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