Reincarnated with the King’s Power

Chapter 77

Upon returning to the family, Killian headed straight for the apothecary.

As I entered the apothecary, I felt the gazes of the apothecaries focusing on me.

It was because of the small wolf pup cradled in Killian's arms.

“Is the Annihilation Squad raising a hunting dog?”

“For a hunting dog… it looks too gentle, doesn't it?”

Such words reached Killian’s enhanced hearing.

'As I thought… it seems to look like a dog to other people too.'

I strode confidently and arrived at Loen’s laboratory.

“Oh, Young Master?”

It was Haman, dressed in an apothecary’s gown, who opened the door to the laboratory, perhaps it was the day for his private tutoring.

“It’s been a while.”

Haman's gaze turned to Hazard, nestled in Killian’s arms.

“What’s with the dog? Are you planning on raising a hunting dog?”

“This one’s a wolf.”

“……”

“……”

“To call it a wolf, it’s a bit…”

Haman examined Hazard with a dubious look.

His fur was a mottled mix of black and green.

If one were to be generous, one could see it as a wolf pup, but.

'But no matter how I look at it, it’s a puppy…'

“Ahem. You are being rude to a member of the Annihilation Squad.”

“Huh? I didn’t say anything.”

“I can tell what you’re thinking just by the look in your eyes.”

“That’s…!!”

Haman couldn’t retort and covered his mouth.

Just then, Loen emerged from another room set up within the laboratory.

“Fourth Young Master, have you come to sweep away the recovery potions again this time?”

“I have come to show you the result of those recovery potions.”

“……?”

Loen came closer and examined Hazard.

“It doesn’t look like an ordinary animal.”

“Indeed. The Head Apothecary is different from my incompetent chamberlain.”

“Who are you calling incompetent?”

Killian ignored Haman’s reaction and placed Hazard on the table.

[Yoong~]

“Hazard. I told you to make a different sound when you’re in that form.”

[Grrr~]

Hazard made a new sound with a look of realization.

‘No matter how I look at it, it looks like a mongrel puppy.’

Haman tilted his head, glancing at Killian.

“The cry is artificial.”

“That’s why I came to see you.”

“Young Master, shall I leave?”

“No, stay. You, being a part of the Annihilation Squad, need to know anyway.”

“……?”

If one were to name trustworthy people in the family aside from the Annihilation Squad, it would be Haman and the Head Apothecary.

Just as with Sharle, there was no need to hide it from them.

Killian infused mana into Hazard.

The magic tool around his neck reacted, and the Polymorph was released.

And what appeared was.

[Yoong~]

A legendary creature with a pair of small wings, short limbs, and dull claws on its hands and feet.

“Gasp…!!”

“……!!”

Loen’s and Haman’s faces hardened with shock.

“It’s a member of the Dragon race, believed to be extinct. It’s been about ten days since it hatched.”

Killian left Loen, who had yet to recover from the shock, and picked up a rolling recovery potion.

[Yong!]

Crunch. Crunch.

When I handed it to Hazard, he displayed the bizarre act of chewing and eating it, bottle and all.

Gulp.

“Unlike its size, it has a good appetite.”

“……”

“……”

“Chew your food well.”

[Yong! Yong!]

Crunch. Crunch.

Burp.

Ssssss.

Mana began to rise from the body of the baby dragon that had let out a refreshing burp.

It was no different from a knight or a magician consuming a recovery potion and emitting mana as a test.

“Huuuh…!!”

Haman’s mouth was agape as wide as it could go.

“It… eats mana.”

Loen, though surprised, was concentrating on trying to understand the situation before her.

Killian stroked the head of Hazard, who had just made a recovery potion disappear.

“It’s a hybrid of a black dragon and a green dragon. It will do great things for the family in the future.”

“A dragon… how did you get one that went extinct long ago…”

“I obtained it from Cornelia’s Secret Repository.”

“……!!”

This time, even Loen, who had been trying hard to maintain her composure, was left with her mouth wide open.

She too had heard about it from the previous head of the family.

What kind of place was Cornelia’s Secret Repository?

'How could the Fourth Young Master enter a place that only direct blood relatives can enter…'

This was not something that could be achieved through family-level diplomacy or personal connections.

Loen shook her head as if she couldn't understand.

“Fourth Young Master, what in the world… happened?”

“Head Apothecary, please raise it for me.”

Killian said, as if cutting off Loen’s question.

“Raise it…?”

“If rumors spread that Eurasia is keeping an extinct dragon, it’s highly likely to provide the Empire with a pretext for invasion.”

“So, we must report to the Head of the family immediately…”

“We can’t.”

“……”

At the firm answer, Loen closed her mouth.

She had lost her composure just by facing the baby dragon before her.

“There’s a limit to controlling information. If the Head of the family finds out, Sir Escardo will find out, and soon the Matriarchs will find out too.”

“……”

At the word ‘Matriarchs,’ Loen gave a small nod.

Within the family, their information network was no less than that of the Annihilation Squad.

If the information leaked, the young masters’ maternal families would also learn of it.

“That’s true, but… why me…”

“Hazard, you like it too, don’t you?”

[Yoong~ Yong~]

Killian pushed Hazard’s rump towards Loen.

Hazard crawled over and nestled in her arms, rubbing his head against her.

“……!!”

Killian did not miss the single ray of light that passed through Loen’s eyes.

‘You little devil.’

Hazard, whose eyes met Killian’s.

[Yooong~]

Let out a refreshing roar.

***

“This is the end.”

Demian muttered in a dry voice.

At his feet, a middle-aged man was gasping for breath.

He was Yuvern Silver, the head of the Silver family, the last traitorous family in the eastern frontier.

Around the not-so-spacious family head’s office, his two 5-star knight bodyguards lay dead.

Demian had subdued them all by himself.

“Yuvern Silver, with you, my mission is finally over.”

“Kill me… Demian Eurasia…”

“No need to rush. The Head of the family will decide your fate.”

“You’re trying to make me submit… like that bat-like bastard…”

Yuvern Silver’s gaze turned to the man behind Demian.

“Silence, Yuvern! Serving Eurasia is the greatest honor for our family!”

Coral Stone, who had shouted, now bowed his head to Demian.

“As expected of Young Master Demian. To face three 5-star knights alone… I, Coral Stone, am honored to serve you, albeit late!”

Coral Stone groveled, praising Demian’s prowess.

Under Simon's orders, he had been staying by Demian's side during his mission, serving as an example to the traitorous families.

There were even rumors circulating in the knight order that the Stone family’s Black Cloud Knight Order would be placed under Demian.

‘I can almost understand the Head’s thoughts, and yet I can’t.’

Demian was well aware of the geographical importance of the Stone Family in the eastern frontier.

The Head of the family values skill.

And Killian’s martial prowess clearly surpassed his own.

The Head of the family, as he understood him, would have given Killian a chance.

'He should have placed the Stone Family under Killian to see how he would handle them.'

That was why he had yielded Coral Stone to Killian.

But Simon’s order seemed to be giving him strength in the competition for the family headship.

'The Head of the family is one thing… but I don’t know what that guy Killian is thinking either.'

Whether he coveted the position of family head, or was simply content with finding his place in the family.

He couldn't fathom his true intentions at all.

“Yuvern! Bow your head to Young Master Demian at once and pledge your loyalty! If you do, I will convey even a little of your sincerity to the Head of the family!”

“You bat-like bastard… I’m ashamed to have been in the same boat with you, even for a moment!!”

“It seems you still can’t grasp the situation!”

While Coral Stone was engaged in a futile argument with Yuvern Silver.

Paian and Julian, covered in blood, entered the family head’s office.

Their gazes shifted from the two arguing family heads to Demian, and then to the two knights lying on the floor.

‘I heard the Silver family head’s bodyguards were 5-star masters… did he really take care of both of them by himself?’

‘Damn it. He’s a monster.’

The two young masters swallowed dryly.

During the purge of the traitorous families, Paian and Julian had also grown.

Paian had recovered his swordsmanship to the level of an early 5-star using his prosthetic arm, and Julian had entered the 4-star rank.

And Demian had stabilized at the 6-star rank.

The scope of their growth was different.

“Brother, all who resisted have been killed. The remaining surrendered members have all laid down their weapons and surrendered.”

“The family head’s blood relatives and the family’s servants have all been imprisoned. We are currently assessing the number of casualties.”

Paian and Julian finished their reports.

Demian, who had nodded, opened his mouth.

“Each knight order is to leave a minimum force and prepare to depart.”

“……!!”

“By that, you mean…”

Half a year since the purge of the traitorous families began.

Everything Eurasia needed to resolve for the Declaration of the Kingdom was finished.

“Yes. We are returning to the family.”

Demian announced the end of a long mission.

The indifferent face of another young master back at the family came to mind.

“It’s been a while since all the brothers were gathered.”

A smile played on the lips of Demian, who rarely showed emotion.

***

Somewhere on the continent.

Isaac Heinrich’s lips twisted as he listened to the report.

“Those guys were one step ahead.”

“We wasted time on a pointless competition.”

“Do you think so?”

“……?”

Isaac, who met the Black Duke’s eyes, grinned.

“About His Majesty the Emperor making us princes compete.”

“In reality, aside from the three princes, the others had no competitiveness.”

The dozens of princes and princesses of the Heinrich Imperial Family.

The current emperor had declared that he would pass on the throne to the one who survived the competition for the throne.

For twenty years, large and small civil wars had followed, and in the end, it was the three brothers who had eliminated and subjugated numerous factions to build the largest power base.

The First Prince, Crusty Heinrich.

The Second Prince, Isaac Heinrich.

The Third Prince, Ash Heinrich.

All the powers on the continent, except for the core factions loyal to the current emperor, were scattered among these three princes.

And at this point, the ones closest to the next emperor were the First Prince, supported by the head of the White Magic Tower, and the Second Prince, supported by the head of the Black Magic Tower.

“Truly foolish people. The power of the Magic Towers is not something that can be dealt with by just a few Superhumans.”

“Hope has a way of intoxicating people. Well, we failed to properly control the frontier, and ended up giving birth to two kingdoms.”

“It’s a bitter pill to swallow that we couldn’t get our hands on Cornelia’s Magic Tower.”

Previously, Isaac Heinrich had infiltrated several Superhumans into the frontier.

However, that attempt to check the dangers of the frontier early on ended up consuming precious Superhuman forces due to the war for the throne.

'Ash, that guy, didn't have the strength to spare, but… it’s surprising that Crusty didn’t make a move on the frontier.'

If the First Prince, who was evaluated to have power equal to or greater than his own, had coveted the frontier, the two kingdoms would not have been born so easily.

“What happened to the magician who went to Cornelia to request an exchange?”

“He returned with his head cut off. They had accurately warped him to the coordinates of the Black Magic Tower through the Roto Temple.”

“Tsk. It seems they finally caught our tail.”

The Pantera Temple in the eastern frontier and the Roto Temple in the western frontier.

Through the Black Duke’s experiments, they had developed a technique to hide the presence of a Superhuman using divine power.

However, it was discovered because Mainz Kimbel had used it as an escape route previously.

“What will you do?”

“I need the Violet Magic Tower to catch Crusty. But to do that, I first need to bring Cornelia to the negotiation table.”

A man came to Isaac’s mind.

A Sword Master who had lost everything after failing his mission and had returned from the dead.

“That guy has mastered the 7-star rank?”

“Yes. It seems the experience of death became a catalyst for him to overcome the wall.”

“Interesting.”

He had sent countless Superhumans to the frontier until now, but none of them had mastered the 7-star rank.

But now, a 7-star knight who knew the frontier better than anyone had been born.

And one who was full of animosity towards Eurasia.

“I’ll use Mainz directly. What happened to the marriage proposal sent to Sharle Cornelia?”

“There is no reply yet.”

“Then I’ll have to go myself.”

“It’s dangerous.”

The Black Duke’s face hardened.

For a contender for the throne to visit when the two frontier families, who are hostile to the Empire, have declared their kingdoms?

If things went wrong, his life could not be guaranteed.

“To obtain the Violet Magic Tower and the ‘piece,’ that much risk is worth taking. Above all…”

Black mana began to rise from Isaac Heinrich’s body.

It was mana modified with evil energy, different from ordinary black mana.

“I’m curious to see if this power will work on those guys who don’t know their place.”

Rumble, rumble, rumble.

At the Haki that pressed down on the area.

“……”

The Black Duke quietly shut his mouth.