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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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Chapter 18
"What? Why? What will you do if you keep staring at me like that?"
"Ugh?!"
"What can you even do? Besides inheriting the title of count following your father’s will, is there anything else you’re capable of?"
At my sarcastic remark, she ground her teeth furiously, looking as if she might explode at any moment.
"Ah… Ahh! My patience is wearing thin!"
"Alright, enough of that. Let’s deal with the Tyvel Cascadia issue first. Once we handle him, most of the problems will be resolved."
I don’t know much about the other kingdoms, but here in our kingdom of Bata, the royal family has an official system of recognition for noble ranks.
To inherit the title of Count of Cascadia, one must at least achieve the rank of Expert as recognized by the royal family.
Of course, Melissa is already a Sword Expert, so it’s not a problem for her.
But because of the cumbersome certification and formalities, she’s still officially registered as an Aura User with the royal family.
This is precisely why Tyvel Cascadia can aim for her position and try to push her out.
"What a completely useless system."
"Yeah, a downright absurd system."
Melissa and I agreed on this point.
Of course, becoming an officially recognized Expert would bring definite advantages, but Tyvel had been lobbying the central nobles to hinder her certification process.
Thus, there was only one option left.
Tyvel’s death.
"With Vishiri Cascadia dead, there’s a chance Tyvel will flee."
Melissa knew Tyvel Cascadia well.
"That’s likely."
"The fact that we have an unexpected force on our side, and his belief that dragging things out will favor him."
As Melissa described, Tyvel Cascadia would certainly think that way.
While it’s possible he might trust his own strength and wage an all-out battle, that would actually make things easier for us.
"We haven’t heard of him leaving his estate yet, but it’s only a matter of time. If we want to settle this properly, we need to act swiftly."
The problem was that we, too, needed preparation.
Melissa probably hadn’t anticipated things escalating into a full-scale conflict so suddenly.
"How much time do you think we have?"
"We need to move immediately. He’s a sharp man; if he decides to leave, it could be as soon as today."
"Alright. Then I’ll assemble the troops and knights to prepare—"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Miss! Miss! We have a major problem!"
It was then that a knight burst in, his face full of urgency, panting heavily.
"Sir Harpon? What’s the matter for you to rush in like this...?"
"We’ve found traces of a monster that escaped the demon realm and is presumed to be hiding within the Count’s territory! If we don’t act quickly, there will be civilian casualties...!"
"What?!"
Her face turned pale.
"What is this about?"
"Well, that is..."
I narrowed my eyes at Melissa as she faltered.
A monster from the demon realm.
I knew about it too.
A few weeks ago, a report came in that a monster had evaded surveillance in the demon realm and infiltrated the Count’s territory.
In response, an investigative team had been hastily dispatched to the area.
Monsters from the demon realm are highly dangerous and can cause severe casualties.
"You told me the monster was found and eliminated, didn’t you?"
"Well... about that..."
"You don’t mean to tell me it’s still out there, do you?"
At my question, she bit her lip and avoided my gaze.
"Ah, what a headache."
It was obvious what had happened.
They had found traces of the monster but hadn’t managed to catch it.
To avoid creating panic in the territory, they must have covered it up.
If this fact became known, the situation would spiral out of control.
"...You don’t have time to deal with Tyvel right now."
"..."
Unlike Tyvel, who at least wouldn’t harm people openly, the monster was a different story.
Especially one that had evaded the knights and hidden within the territory—it was bound to be an even greater threat.
A significant portion of the territory’s forces would need to be deployed.
"Split up, Melissa."
"No way!"
"I’ll handle Tyvel. You take care of the monster—"
"Don’t be ridiculous!!"
She screamed angrily.
"Are you joking?! You’re planning to storm Tyvel’s estate alone?!"
"Yeah."
"What if you get hurt?!"
At her desperate cry, I hesitated for a moment, then smirked.
"Hurt? Don’t be absurd."
"No! Absolutely not! Over my dead body—ugh! Put that down!"
As I grabbed a handful of dirt from a nearby potted plant, pretending to throw it, she shrieked and backed away.
"Recon first! Just reconnaissance! Do you hear me? Tyvel Cascadia has also lost a lot of his forces! If he tries to escape, I’ll send a detachment of knights, so don’t go alone. Do you understand?! This is an order!"
She shouted urgently, but I ignored her nagging and slipped out of her office.
* * *
Melissa told me to just scout, but I had no intention of following her orders.
If my instincts were right, Tyvel would either flee or attack the territory today.
Of course, the latter seemed less likely, but it couldn’t be ruled out.
In some ways, the appearance of a monster that had escaped the demon realm was oddly well-timed.
I donned a black coat perfect for blending into the darkness.
At first glance, it seemed to offer no protection, but in reality, it was made from the hide of a high-grade monster, providing excellent durability.
Better to have it than not, and more importantly, it had the advantage of being easy to clean if stained with blood—a feature I greatly appreciated.
"Young master."
As I was preparing to leave the estate, a familiar voice called out.
Turning my head, I saw a short dwarf approaching, holding something in both hands.
"Verus? I thought you’d left already?"
When I chuckled, he clicked his tongue in displeasure and turned his gaze away.
“Well, since there’s no longer a reason to leave, I see no point in leaving.”
“Is that really all?”
“Geez, you’re a tough one. You saved my son, so I ought to repay the favor.”
At his words, I laughed and patted him on the back.
“You’ve made the right decision, Verus. You won’t regret it. Take good care of my sister.”
“Ugh... It’s not just me. Everyone whose families or loved ones were kidnapped owes you two a debt.”
As he spoke, he handed me something from his arms.
“What’s this?”
“A sword. I made it while the young master was asleep. I heard your swords kept breaking because they couldn’t handle your aura.”
“Oh, that’s true.”
“It’s a sword made with added mithril. It may not last forever, but it’ll hold up for quite a while.”
Slightly surprised, I pulled off the cloth to reveal a silver longsword.
The blade’s sharpness was impressive, and the balance was excellent.
A high-quality item, as they say.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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And with mithril mixed in, it was no ordinary, cheap weapon.
“Where did you get this? It doesn’t look like it came at a small price.”
“I had some leftover mithril. I made it myself while the young master was asleep. I couldn’t put in as much time as I’d like, so it’s not as sturdy as it could be. If it breaks, bring it back. I’ll melt it down and remake it.”
Looking at the silver blade, I could tell he had put considerable effort into it.
“Thanks. I needed a weapon anyway, so this works out perfectly.”
“And this is something the old man at the magic artifact shop sent.”
It was clearly an artifact engraved with magic.
“He’s giving something like this?”
“That miser surprised me with his generosity. And this is a stock of potions from the apothecary owner.”
It was as if they all anticipated I’d be going somewhere.
“They’re acting like they know exactly what I’m going to do.”
“Didn’t I say? With age comes insight.”
It was their gratitude for saving their families and loved ones.
Since these items were useful, I didn’t refuse.
“I’ll make good use of them.”
“Young master.”
As I mounted my horse after accepting all the items, the dwarf Verus called out to me.
“What now?”
At the same time, he bent deeply at the waist, bowing to me.
“Thank you for saving my son… and, well, I hate to say this, but…”
“I’m just going on a scouting mission.”
“To me, it doesn’t look like scouting. It looks like you’re going to destroy something.”
“Haha!”
I didn’t bother to refute his words, not wanting to spoil the mood.
After all, it was the truth.
* * *
As twilight descended and the sunset faded, plunging the large mansion into darkness, someone slipped in silently.
“See? I knew this would happen.”
Despite the late hour, the mansion was bustling with activity.
Tyvel Cascadia had chosen to flee.
And tonight, at that.
It was an inevitable choice.
After all, most of his forces had been annihilated, and even his son had been killed.
Believing that I and Melissa might have some unexpected support, he was likely hedging his bets, choosing to retreat to safety and plan from elsewhere.
Of course, I had no intention of letting him leave this mansion alive.
Melissa had instructed me to scout, but since when did I ever follow Melissa’s orders?
I unsheathed the mithril-infused sword Verus had given me.
“From now on, your name is Blacknight Sword No. 1.”
Since its debut was under the dark night sky, I figured that name would suffice.
Honestly, what’s in a name for a weapon?
What mattered was whether it could cut well and hold up in battle.
In Labyrinthos, whenever a sword broke, a new one would appear, and I’d pick it up and swing it.
Thanks to the endless supply of swords, I never developed much attachment to them.
Fortunately, the dwarf’s craftsmanship didn’t disappoint, and Blacknight Sword No. 1 seemed to perform admirably.
Shing...
“Huh?”
Slash!
With a chilling sound of flesh tearing, one of the guards collapsed, spraying blood.
A guard who should have been defending the count’s domain was instead protecting the private mansion.
I already knew that when Vishiri kidnapped me and brought me outside the castle gates, some of the guards had aligned with Tyvel.
But seeing the extent of their cooperation now left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“Father was always too soft on people.”
Because he was such a good person, he seemed to lack the skill to weed out scum like this.
As I quietly gazed down at the guards who had died without even a scream, I took in the bustling mansion in one sweeping glance.
Compared to when I visited with my father before, the mansion hadn’t changed much structurally, but it exuded a much wealthier atmosphere.
The extravagant decorations and the sheer number of servants spoke volumes.
Tyvel Cascadia’s branch family originally managed a few small businesses.
Enough to sustain themselves but not enough to create such a luxurious scene.
Where, then, had Tyvel Cascadia obtained this much wealth?
The question didn’t trouble me for long.
It didn’t matter in the end.
[Warning: Approach detected.]
At least the artifact was better than me at detecting things.
“Their level?”
[One aura user. The rest are presumed to be regular soldiers.]
“Let’s begin.”
By the time Tyvel Cascadia realized I had infiltrated, it would already be too late to turn back.
Gripping Blacknight Sword No. 1 tightly, I bent slightly forward.
Then, I dashed forward without hesitation.
* * *
“Well, it seems I was right to have some contingencies in place.”
With a grim expression, Tyvel Cascadia muttered to himself.
In just a few hours, he felt as though he had aged years.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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