Chapter 20
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]
[Quality Checker – Kawaii]
Chapter 20: The Debt Collector (2)
“Pathetic, your life is at stake here and yet you are boasting.”
Allan Demiche snapped his fingers. The three bodyguards behind him drew their swords.
“Bring him to his senses, but don’t kill him.”
The bodyguards chuckled as they came close to Damien.
None of the three bodyguards were skilled, they all had flaws which Damien could easily see.
Apart from that, there was a weighty and oppressive air around Damien.
Taking lives for sustenance wasn’t an easy way to live.
“Hey, young master. Shall I let you witness something rare before I beat you?”
One bodyguard poised a blade inches from Damien’s face.
A shimmering aura enveloped the blade. The bodyguard proudly displayed it to Damien.
“See this? This is an aura. You might’ve never seen it befo—”
Damien swung his sword, drawing a diagonal line from bottom to top.
The longsword slashed through the bodyguard’s neck, his head thudded to the ground.
The deceased bodyguard didn’t grasp what had occurred.
“Being complacent with your enemy so close to you can lead to downfall.”
Damien swung his sword into the air, splattering blood on the ground.
“This son of a—!”
Another bodyguard, grasping the situation, exploded in anger.
“I’ll kill you!”
He lunged forward, seemingly aiming to crush Damien’s skull in one swift motion.
Unconcerned, Damien swung his sword.
First, he severed his raised arms, then sliced his chest, and finally, cut open his waist.
Three strikes.
Not one of the bodyguards saw a single move clearly before they were killed.
“Slow and dull.”
Damien turned his gaze to the last remaining bodyguard.
The bodyguard’s eyes darted uncontrollably.
“Ah…aaah!”
The bodyguard threw his sword and tried to leap out the window.
But Damien struck the ground before him, brushing past the guard.
A gash marked the guard’s neck, and the next second his head fell to the ground.
“If you were a coward, you shouldn’t have touched the sword.”
Damien said this, turning to Allan Demiche.
Allan Demiche was completely stunned.
“This can’t… ho-how could a mere countryside noble like you… have such skill…”
Damien approached Allan Demiche.
Only then did Allan Demiche regain his senses and screamed.
“Aaaah! No…no!”
Struggling in his chair, he toppled over its backrest.
He writhed on the floor, trying to get up with difficulty.
In that moment, a longsword fell towards his wrist, severing it.
“Ah…”
Allan Demiche, with an unbelieving expression, stared at his severed wrist.
“Aaah! My…my hand! My han—”
Damien slapped Allan Demiche in the face to make him quiet.
The scream abruptly stopped as Allan Demiche whimpered, with his mouth being held by Damien.
“Be quiet. You’re too loud.”
Damien pressed the blade close to Allan Demiche’s throat.
Allan Demiche’s face turned pale.
“Da…Damien Ha…Hak…sen! No…no…Mr. Da…Damien!”
The fear of death suppressed the agony. Allan Demiche prostrated before Damien.
“This lowly being spoke rudely to you!”
At this moment, Allan Demiche could only think of surviving.
“Please…please spare my life! I beg you!”
“No, if you really want to live, say something else.”
Damien pressed the blade closer. Blood trickled down.
Allan Demiche desperately shook his head.
Within an instant, thousands of thoughts raced through his mind.
“I-I’ll do everything to serve you even if it means to betray the duchy!”
Allan Demiche screamed desperately.
‘He’s a clever one.’
Only then did Damien sheathe his sword.
After sending Damien off, Paul Haksen couldn’t sit still for even a single moment.
He paced around the room, sighing deeply.
Not just Paul, his youngest son, Abel, mirrored his father’s behavior, pacing in the room.
“Sigh.”
“Sigh.”
Both the men sighed similarly, their expressions mirroring not just parent and child, but more.
“Dear, please sit and rest. You’ll exhaust yourself pacing like this.”
“Abel, you too come and sit here.”
Paul’s wife and daughter, Louise, spoke.
Unlike the father and son, the mother and daughter duo indulged in a leisurely tea time.
“My dear, how can I relax and sit? Our family’s fate is at stake here.”
“Mother, Father is right. With the family’s destiny on the line, how can we remain still?”
Despite the two men’s arguments, Paul’s wife and Louise spoke calmly.
“Damien assured us he can handle it.”
“Yes, for now, let’s trust and wait for Damien.”
Viscount Hasken and Abel wore puzzled expressions.
“How can you be so relaxed?”
“Mother, do you truly believe in his words?”
Paul’s wife sipped her tea, savoured its aroma and then spoke.
“Has Damien ever failed us before? No, right?”
“That’s because Damien possesses extraordinary swordsmanship. But negotiation skills and swordsmanship are different.”
Undoubtedly, Damien possessed incredible skills.
But those were predominantly effective in fights.
In negotiations, where tact and eloquence mattered, his skills were of no use.
“Father, why don’t we go see him now?”
Abel’s words stirred something in Paul’s mind.
Yes, even now, they can still go and assist Damien…
“You said you trust Damien, yet you want to go help him now?”
“Father, perhaps it’s not a good idea.”
The words of the mother-daughter duo startled Paul Haksen.
If he said that he trusted him and would leave the matter to him, perhaps it was really not a good idea to interfere…
It was a complete disregard for Damien.
Paul was thinking about that, but then…
The door creaked open, and Damien walked in.
“Father, I’m back.”
The appearance of Damien caught the attention of the entire family.
Especially Paul, who rushed forward eagerly.
“Damien! What happened? Did you resolve it?”
“Yes, it’s settled. I received confirmation that they won’t ask for any more debt from us.”
A bright smile lit up at Paul’s face.
But then a strange thought crossed his mind. The negotiation result was good, it a bit too good.
Not just postponing the repayment or reducing it, but directly waiving it all off?
“Is that really true?”
“Yes, I knew you wouldn’t believe it, so I brought the person in-charge directly.”
Damien gestured, and a man walked in from beyond the door.
He was dressed decently, but his clothes were disheveled, and his hair unkempt, making him look shabby.
“Speak now.”
“Yes…yes!”
At Damien’s words, the man nodded, trembling.
“V..Viscount Haksen right? N..Nice to meet you. I’m Allan Demiche, in-charge of the western branch of the Dash and Cash.”
“T…That’s right…”
Paul was greatly taken aback. The situation is really different from what he had expected it to be.
“You said you won’t ask for debts… Is that true?”
“I…It’s true! After today, there will be absolutely no inconvenience caused to the Viscount due to money matters! Yes, absolutely not!”
Allan shouted causing Paul to get even more confused
“What did Damien say to make… you allow this?”
“Th-The duel between the Duke and Marquis Ryan Bloom is about to take place! Young master Damien has decided to participate in that duel instead of repaying the debt!”
The duel between the Duke and the Marquis was something Paul had heard of before. It was a crucial battle, not only because of their status, but also for the family’s honor tied to the gold mine.
“Surely he didn’t make such a condition…”
In other words, Damien was selling his prowess to repay the debt.
However, Paul had no choice but to accept.
“Damien… you really solved it on your own, as you promised.”
“I told you, didn’t I? To trust me.”
Paul Haksen wore a puzzled expression on his face. In truth, he didn’t fully trust Damien yet.
“You’ve worked hard. Go in and rest now…”
At that moment, something caught Paul’s eye.
There was a bandage wrapped around Allan Demiche’s wrist. The bandage was stained red from seeping blood.
“…Damien?”
“Yes?”
“Just asking in case… did you cause that on his wrist?”
“There was a slight clash of opinions during negotiations; it couldn’t be helped.”
Suddenly, dizziness swept over him. Paul placed his hand on his forehead.
“Oh, and send the servants to clean the reception room please.”
“Why? What happened?”
“During the conflict resolution process, this guy’s bodyguards clashed with mine.”
Damien mimicked slicing his throat with his hand.
“They made quite a mess of the reception room.”
Paul Haksen rubbed his face with both palms.
After taking a deep breath, he yelled,
“Damien! What have you done this time?!”
Damien explained the situation in detail to Viscount Haksen.
Initially angry, Paul Haksen’s reaction changed entirely upon hearing that Allan Demiche had mocked Louise.
“You despicable man, how dare you?!”
It was all thanks to the Haksen family holding him back, Allan Demiche remained unharmed.
The debt isn’t cleared yet.
Allan Demiche was just a branch manager. The real negotiation would be with the Duke.
“Your skills are undoubtedly exceptional, but I’m not sure if the Duke will consider you.”
It was natural for Paul to worry.
Surely, the Duke had many exceptional knights surrounding him.
To participate in the duel, Damien had to surpass them.
“Are you confident?”
Without hesitation, Damien nodded at Paul’s question.
And so, the next day arrived.
Damien, prepared for his journey and stepped outside.
His family and Agnes were waiting for him at the entrance of the estate.
“Agnes, thank you for everything you’ve done.”
Damien first expressed his gratitude to Agnes.
Agnes not only prevented the war with the Marquis but also treated Victor. Thanks to the divine magic that a priest belonging to the investigation team had used, Victor was able to recover from serious injuries.
“It was the least I could do.”
Agnes responded casually to Damien’s gratitude.
“Our investigation is nearly complete, so we plan to return the day after tomorrow.”
Damien was leaving today, hence this meeting was their last.
“May the god bless your journey, Damien, I hope you reach your destination safely”
Agnes made a praying gesture. Damien did the same.
“Oh, and in case you change your mind…”
“I have no intention of becoming a Paladin.”
Damien cut in sharply, as if anticipating what she was going to say.
Agnes’s face involuntarily fell.
“Well then, take care.”
Next, Damien bid farewell to his family.
“Damien, take this with you.”
His mother handed something to Damien. It was a vial with a golden frame around it.
“It’s a superior potion I luckily obtained in the past. It can heal even life-threatening wounds in no time. Keep it with you, use it if things get dangerous.”
His mother’s explanation went on for a while.
But none of it reached Damien’s ears.
He remembered seeing this potion when he killed his younger brother by order of the Archlich Dorugo. Holding onto his brother’s severed body, his mother had handed him this potion.
Her cries and accusations still echoed in his ears.
“…,”
Emotions buried under unpleasant memories resurfaced.
Hatred towards Dorugo, anger at his own powerlessness, and despair at the dreadful reality gradually consumed Damien’s heart.
“Damien?”
At his mother’s voice, Damien snapped out of it abruptly. Holding the vial dearly, he said,
“…Thank you mother. I’ll make sure to return this potion when I come back.”
Damien looked back at Louise and Abel for the last time.
Louise wore a worried expression, while Abel avoided Damien’s gaze.
“Damien, you must take care of yourself. Understand?”
Damien nodded before turning to his younger brother.
Abel purposely averted his eyes from Damien’s gaze.
“Abel.”
“…Yes?”
“When I return, let’s practice archery.”
Abel’s face filled with surprise at this unexpected remark.
Damien whispered to Abel’s ear
“Doesn’t the Viscount Copperhead’s daughter enjoy hunting? If you want to impress her, you need to be skilled with a bow.”
Abel’s face reddened at his words.
“H…how do you kn…know…”
Having worked as a mercenary in his past life, Damien continuously gathered information about the Haksen estate.
Among them was the fact that Abel had proposed to the Viscount Copperhead’s daughter but was rejected due to his lack of money and low status. He even heard that the Viscount took offense in it.
“There’s a way to know everything.”
Leaving a bewildered Abel behind, Damien approached the carriage.
“Oh, you’ve arrived.”
Allan Demiche opened the carriage door with his remaining hand.
“This carriage is quite spacious.”
Damien glanced inside the carriage.
“I, I cannot tolerate discomfort, so I intentionally ordered expensive items to be used to make this.”
“If it’s a carriage like this, I can expect a comfortable journey, right?”
“Of course! I’ll take extra care to ensure that you have a comfortable journey.”
Allan Demiche forced a smile.
“Good attitude.”
Damien patted his head and boarded the carriage. Victor swiftly followed Damien onto the carriage.
The carriage rode off down the road.
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]
[Quality Checker – Kawaii]
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