abcnovels
Chapter 36
Chapter 36
Chapter 36
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter:36 The Return (2)
***
Damien shouted to the soldiers, “Drop your baggage and mount the horses immediately! We need to leave this place!”
Startled by the sudden noise, the soldiers hastily obeyed Damien’s command.
“Knights, mount your horses as well,” Damien directed towards the two knights.
However, one of the knights hesitated and spoke, “Sir Damien, going to aid Sir Sebastian even now might be…”
Damien struck the knight across the face, leaving him dumbfounded.
“Would meddling in a duel between mid-classes with a low-class like yourself be of any help? It would only be a hindrance.”
“But, sir…”
“Stop the nonsense and get on the horses. Do you intend to let all the soldiers here die?”
Fear seized all the soldiers, and the knight who observed their trepidation nodded solemnly.
“…Understood. Let’s go.”
“Where are you heading?” an unfamiliar voice interrupted. The knights turned in surprise.
A middle-aged man and a woman stood a bit away. While the man appeared ordinary, the woman possessed an astonishing beauty.
However, the soldiers paid little attention to the woman’s appearance. It was the mysterious unease emanating from the pair that unsettled them.
“Who are you?” Damien inquired, facing the two. The man chuckled and responded, “Seems like a question we’re not inclined to answer. We’d rather keep our identity secret.”
The middle-aged man raised his voice.
“Our objective is Damien Haksen. We won’t harm the others if you hand over him and leave peacefully.”
Upon hearing this, the knights shouted without hesitation, “Nonsense! Do you think we would listen to the likes of you? Sir Damien Haksen is a benefactor of the Duke! Do you think we would abandon a benefactor?”
The middle-aged man sneered at the knights’ response.
“So, this is what knights are like… They need a clear display of their inferiority to come to
their senses.”
With a gesture, the middle-aged man spread his hands, releasing dark mana that flowed down his arms. The tendrils of dark magic meticulously formed intricate runes on the exposed skin outside his clothes.
Woo! Woo!
With eerie sounds, the man’s body began to contort, bones and muscles growing rapidly. In an instant, his once ordinary body transformed into a giant exceeding three meters. His skin turned entirely crimson, resembling not human flesh but the hide of a monstrous creature.
Most peculiar were the four tentacles protruding from the man’s back. Thick as tree trunks and covered in scales, they presented a gruesome sight.
The transformed man’s appearance was horrific, akin to a demon crawling up from hell.
“…Berserk Sect.”
One of the knights murmured with a terrified expression. The Berserk Sect referred to individuals who utilized their bodies as conduits for dark magic.
The dark magic wielded by the Berserk Sect surpassed mere body enhancement; it triggered profound transformations. The altered physique could manifest abilities surpassing those of humans, reaching levels comparable to monsters.
The Berserk Sect was renowned for possessing the highest combat capabilities among dark magic factions.
“Can you now feel the gap between us?”
The extent of the transformation indicated the man’s proficiency in Berserk Arts. The middle-aged man had created entirely new sections on his body, evidence of being an advanced practitioner.
In the realm of knights, a high-ranking Berserk Arts practitioner would be on par with a mid-class level expert. Faced with such a formidable opponent, the odds were overwhelmingly against the three low-class knights.
“As a final offer, I suggest you abandon Damien Haksen and leave. I will spare those who choose to flee.”
The faces of the two knights turned pale. Their hands, holding the swords, trembled.
“…Sir Damien, we will help.”
“If you give the command, we will strike.”
Despite the situation, they didn’t choose to flee. Instead, their determination ignited.
Turning towards the knights, Damien spoke sternly, “Don’t you see? If we fight, everyone dies. Even you two should run.”
“It doesn’t matter. Losing our honor is more frightening than death.”
“I share the same sentiment.”
Despite their words, the middle-aged man chuckled.
“Stubborn, aren’t you? Well, it doesn’t matter. I intended to kill you all even if you ran.”
The middle-aged man gestured behind him. Unnoticed, the woman now held a black staff.
Dark magic swirled around the staff, and upon seeing it, the knights uttered their disdain.
“…They planned to use dark magic if we fled.”
“These despicable wretches…!”
The knights’ curses only amused the middle-aged man.
“Giving a painless death for all three would be mercy. Make them beg for death.”
The middle-aged man began to move, and the knights unsheathed their weapons.
Out of nowhere, Damien swung the blunt side of his sword, hitting the backs of the heads of the two knights. Caught off guard, the knights instantly fell into unconsciousness.
Both the middle-aged man and the nearby soldiers were astonished as they stared at Damien.
“Mount these bodies on horses and make your escape, Run towards the duchy”.
Damien commanded the soldiers. When they hesitated, he roared, “Move!”
Only then did the soldiers mount the horses and swiftly depart, disappearing into the forest.
“I didn’t think you’d sacrifice yourself.”
The middle-aged man sneered.
“But it’s useless. My subordinate behind me will curse them. They’ll all die before leaving the woods.”
“Self-sacrifice? You’re gravely mistaken.”
Damien suddenly spoke.
“They were just in the way. If anyone sees them, I can’t fight properly.”
“In the way?”
“Yeah, if someone’s watching, I can’t give my best in a fight.”
With those words, he casually began stretching his body, eliciting a bewildered expression on the middle-aged man’s face.
“Arrogant fool. I knew you were arrogant, but I didn’t expect him to be so foolish. Do you even know who I am? Do you think you can stand a chance against me?”
“I know. You’re Yulan’s dark mage.”
At Damien’s words, the middle-aged man’s eyes widened.
“You… How did you…?”
“Yeah, I guessed your purpose roughly. Originally, you tried to use Chelsea Goldpixie to swallow the Duke. You failed because of me.”
The middle-aged man’s pupils trembled, shocked not only by the revelation of his identity but also by the disclosure of their concrete objectives.
“Ernest Horowitz said something about killing the Duke, but I’m sure that’s a lie. You have no intention of killing the Duke.”
“Damien extended his hand cracking his knuckles, continuing to speak.”
“Because the Duke is too formidable. Maybe you’re plotting to control the duke by using dark magic on him, but attempting to assassinate a duke is risky business. So, the reason for your presence here is clear. Your true target is none other than me.”
Damien stretched his neck, tilting his head from side to side.
“I killed your subordinates and thwarted your plans. You won’t just leave me alone quietly, especially since I’m as relentless as an iron wall. Hence, to eliminate me, you take the help of Ernest Horowitz.”
From Yulan’s perspective, Ernest Horowitz was nothing more than a useful pawn.
The evidence lay in the dark magic actively working within Ernest Horowitz. Like Guillaume Blackwing, Ernest Horowitz gained formidable power at the cost of his life force.
However, Ernest Horowitz was consuming life force at a much faster rate than Guillaume Blackwing.
He was destined to die today.
“Why did you hide our identity when you already knew it?”
“If I had disclosed it, wouldn’t you all have just fled? That’s why I deliberately concealed it. So that you would come to kill me.”
The middle-aged man added with a face that showed complete incomprehension,
“Why did you drag us into this? What’s your hidden agenda?”
“No hidden agenda. I just want to kill you with my own hands.”
Damien hates dark mages. He couldn’t get enough of them without destroying them whenever he saw them.
Moreover, the Yulan was a faction of black mages who had attempted to meddle with his home.
“Now that all the curiosity is satisfied, let’s stop wasting time. I need to quickly kill you and go to aid Sebastian Vincenzo.”
According to Damien’s calculations, Sebastian Vincenzo wouldn’t die easily. However, there was no room for complacency; one never knew what unexpected events could occur during battle.
“I understand very well that you’re a madman.”
The middle-aged man said with an absurd expression.
“Anyway, my decision to kill you was not wrong. We can’t afford to let someone who knows our identity live.”
A cruel smile appeared on the middle-aged man’s lips.
“Formally introduce yourself. I’m Mustang Fury, the leader of Yulan. That over there is our vice-leader, Rebecca.”
Damien’s gaze changed slightly. While he knew about Yulan, he hadn’t expected them to have a leader and a vice-leader.
Considering the risky plan of taking down the Duke Goldpixie, it was only natural that they had prominent figures leading the charge.
“To preemptively block such a dangerous person. This must be the grace of the great Archlich, nothing else.”
Damien’s body tensed as he heard ‘Archlich’. He asked reflexively.
“Archlich? Dorugo?”
This time, Mustang Fury’s pupils widened at the mention of that name.”
“How do you know his name…”
With a snap, his mouth closed.
Without anyone touching him, his muscles contracted, and his mouth shut involuntarily.
…?
He tried to open his mouth, but words wouldn’t come out.
As Mustang Fury, he couldn’t help but be bewildered.
His body had defied the owner’s will and moved on its own.
“Ah, what’s happening?”
At the voice, Mustang Fury looked at Damien.
Only then did Mustang Fury understand why his mouth had closed.
The atmosphere had changed.
Until just now, Damien had consistently acted calmly and leisurely.
But now, it was different.
Behind the pupils staring at Mustang Fury, an intense aura of hostility emanated.
The concentration was so thick that it was hard to meet his gaze directly.
It felt as if he were pushing his face close to a giant pit of fire.
Unconsciously, Mustang Fury found himself breathing heavily.
Every muscle in his body stiffened. If he didn’t consciously breathe, it felt like his breath would stop.
“Were you a subordinate of Dorugo?”
A smile appeared at the corner of Damien’s mouth.
A sense of exhilaration emerged within the immense hostility.
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader -Kawaii]