NOVEL NEXT
Chapter 27
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]
[Quality Checker – Kawaii]
Chapter 27: Fake (2)
In the past, among the masters that Damien had fought, there was a person known as the Sword Musician.
Compared to other masters, The sword musician wasn’t particularly skilled and was ranked the lowest among all the masters.
Nevertheless, he left a deep impression on Damien.
‘He was a master who shone brightly in large-scale battles with the undead.’
‘Sword Resonance is the sound which is produced when a sword vibrates.
The Sword musician possessed a unique technique where he infused his aura into the Sword Resonance and dispersed it.
[PR/N- It is like dispersing aura through sound waves which are created by a swords’ vibration.]
Whenever Sword Resonance would echo out on the battlefield, bodies would explode, and weapons and armors would get destroyed.
‘Thanks to that technique, he was able to bind the undead legion for a whole week.’
Even the undead legion sent by Dorugo, numbering in the thousands, couldn’t penetrate the Sword musicians’ Sword Resonance and came to a halt.
This was an achievement no other master had accomplished.
In the end, Dorugo had no choice but to send Damien out. After an hour-long battle with the Sword musician , Damien emerged victorious.
“Quite an unusual sword, isn’t it?”
Brody approached him from behind and asked.
“It was commissioned by a knight who used to work for the duke. However, he had to leave abruptly before the sword was completed due to some urgent matters.”
“Did that knight happen to provide incense iron and request you to make the sword from it?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
There are many metals in the world which have unique properties which ordinary metals like iron, steel do not have. They are called ‘Rare metal’.
Weapons made from these metals are referred to as ‘divine weapons’. In this world, there are very few rare metals that have been discovered, some of them are Adamantium*, which amplifies the mana of its user, and Frost Iron, which emits cold energy which the user can use in battles.
[*PR/N- Hope marvel doesn’t read this]
‘This is indeed the Sword musicians’ sword.’
Incense iron, as a Rare Metal, had the property of creating waves when mana was infused into it.
Because this special property of it interfered with the mana circuit of the knights, people usually avoided using weapons made from Incense Iron.
However the Sword musician was an exception.
‘But when I fought him, the weapon the Sword musician used didn’t seem to be this one.’
At that time, the weapon he used was crafted by dwarves.
It contained a much higher concentration of Incense Iron than the sword in front of me, along with a mix of other Rare Metals.
‘This must have got lost and in the end he was forced to look for a different weapon.’
The Sword musician could use his techniques even with a regular sword.
However, when using a weapon made from Incense Iron, the effectiveness of his technique doubled.
‘Did the Sword musician go through the duke to obtain Incense Iron?’
Damien didn’t know much about the Sword musician. All he knew was that he had lived his life as a wandering knight.
‘I’ll take this sword.’
Without hesitation, Damien picked up the sword.
Brody was surprised and stopped Damien.
‘Do you choose that sword despite knowing what Incense Iron is?’
“Yeah, I chose this sword.”
Damien could also utilize the Sword musician’s techniques and reach his level. That’s why he was not worried about the incensed Iron’s property to interfere with his mana circuits.
The Sword musician may have been a weaker master among the others, but his techniques were different. He could easily handle multiple enemies and simultaneously resolve offense and defense.
The versatility fascinated Damien, and he wanted to study it further.
“Does this sword have a name by any chance?”
“The knight who commissioned it called it Cheonligum (千里劍).”
Remembering the name, Damien took Cheonligum.
In addition to Cheonligum, Damien also took a dagger and a few throwing knives.
After choosing his weapons, as he was about to leave the workshop, a woman blocked Damien’s path.
She was not alone, two knights were behind her.
“Have you found the weapon you like?”
The woman spoke with a refreshing smile.Damien tilted his head slightly, looking at the woman.
There was a dark shadow under her eyes, giving her a somewhat ominous appearance.
“Who are you?”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Rebecca, Lady Chelsea Goldpixie’s attendant.”
The woman placed her hand on her chest and slightly bowed her head.
“If you don’t mind, my lady has requested a meeting with sir Damien. Would you be willing to spare some time and come with me to meet her?”
Considering Damien’s intention to investigate if Chelsea Goldpixie had any connection to the fake knight, he had planned to meet her at least once. He just didn’t expect the opportunity to come so quickly.
“I don’t think I have anything to discuss with her.”
However, Damien didn’t immediately accept the offer. He declined to get a sense of their intentions.
“Well, you never know.”
Rebecca continued to speak, still wearing a smile.
“Lady Chelsea has many resources. If you speak with her, who knows you might obtain what you need, Sir Damien Haksen.”
Although she turned her words around, in the end, it was an attempt to persuade Damien to go with her.
For Chelsea Goldpixie to openly employ persuasion like this to a knight aligned with the duke was unusual.
Damien, harboring strong curiosity, responded
“Alright, lead the way.”
Rebecca guided Damien to a quiet restaurant.
It wasn’t a large establishment; it barely had one floor.
“Lady Chelsea personally operates this restaurant. Only the nobles can visit here ”
As they walked through the restaurant’s corridor, Rebecca explained,
“However, today, the entire restaurant has been reserved just for Sir Damien.”
Rebecca stopped as they reached a large hall.
A single dining table was set there, and a familiar face was sitting there.
Chelsea Goldpixie.
She raised her wine glass and said
“You’re a bit late, aren’t you? Come and take a seat.”
Rebecca didn’t enter any further. Damien walked in alone and stepped into the hall.
The moment he entered, Damien could feel it.
Dark mana had filled the entire hall.
‘I came to investigate Chelsea Goldpixie’s connection to dark magic, and here it is.’
Without the need for further investigation, Damien already had evidence.
Approaching the dining table, Damien analyzed the dark magic.
‘Dark magic is everywhere, I can feel it even when I breathe.’
Thanks to his memories and experiences as a Death Knight, Damien was well-versed in dark magic.
‘Enchanting scent.’
It was a dark magic that invoked false affection through a scent, using it to manipulate people at will.
‘With this concentration, one would become a slave within an hour.’
Dark mana seeped into his body with every breath. The concentration was intense.
‘Using a high-level dark magic like enchanting scent and concealing it separately. There must be an incredibly skilled dark mage involved here.’
The reason why such dark magic could be spread in the midst of the city without being detected was due to the concealment dark magic that covered the entire restaurant.
It seemed that the dark mage behind Chelsea Goldpixie was not an ordinary person.
Most knights would likely succumb to this enchanting scent.
However, Damien was an exception. He possessed the seven abilities engraved by Dorugo in his past life.
Therefore, most magic and dark magic did not affect Damien.
‘If it’s the power of greed, I should be able to break it down without any issues.’
Using the ability of greed, Damien broke down the dark magic absorbed through breathing.
The dark mana obtained from breaking down the dark magic was stored somewhere in his body.
“Why did you summon me?”
Damien asked, sitting opposite to Chelsea Goldpixie, who put her wine glass down and replied.
“You’re quite impatient. How about discussing things till our meal arrives?”
As Damien, who had already detected the dark magic, this didn’t seem like consideration but rather a mere act.
“I don’t want to waste time unnecessarily. Just say what you want now.”
Chelsea’s eyebrows twitched slightly at Damien’s refusal.
“Well, I guess that can’t be helped. I have only one demand. Resign from the position of representative.”
Damien didn’t feel much about Chelsea’s demand. It was expected; he knew what she would demand.
“Why? Don’t you trust Guillaume Blackwing?”
“Don’t be mistaken. If Guillaume Blackwing raises his axe, you’re nothing in front of him.”
Chelsea Goldpixie cut in sharply, her voice filled with strong conviction.
“However, I want to fully reserve my strength in preparation for the duel against the Marquis. It’s just that I want to avoid unnecessary trouble of him getting injured during the duel.”
It was a reasonable judgment.
Unless one’s skills were overwhelmingly superior, there was always a chance of shedding blood during a duel.
“Why should I fulfill your request? What’s in it for me?”
“If you resign from the position, I’ll make sure you get everything you desire.”
Damien burst into a bitter laugh at her response.
“What do you think I want, making such a statement?”
“Isn’t it obvious what a countryside knight like you wants? Money, honor, things like that, right?”
Chelsea raised one corner of her mouth as if mocking him.
Through this conversation, Damien could roughly grasp the kind of person Chelsea Goldpixie was.
‘An arrogant woman.’
Judging others at will and drawing conclusions recklessly.
It was an action that speaks about her arrogance.
‘In a way, she resembles her father.’
The duke enjoyed testing people, possessing a nasty hobby of evaluating others as if he were a superior figure.
However, the duke, unlike Chelsea Goldpixie, did not directly display his arrogance.
‘Arrogant and incompetent.’
This was what Damien concluded about Chelsea Goldpixie.
“You mentioned money and honor? The duke would be better at providing such things right?.”
“It might seem that way for now. But think about it carefully. The dukedom will soon be passed on to me. Appeasing the future duke is much more advantageous for you, don’t you think?”
“Nonsense. The duke is upright in his actions.”
“No one knows what the future holds. A more capable person than my father might appear and take his place, who knows?”
It was a dangerously bold statement.
Damien stared at Chelsea Goldpixie, narrowing his gaze.
Suddenly, Damien realized that there was a small hourglass in front of Chelsea Goldpixie.
‘Is she keeping track of the time when the enchanting scent takes effect?’
There wasn’t much sand left. Chelsea glanced at the hourglass and spoke to Damien.
“If you understand, go and tell my father. Tell him that you will step down from the representative position.”
Chelsea ordered in a commanding tone.
There was a strong conviction that Damien would unquestionably follow her instructions.
In response, Damien immediately replied
“What if I refuse?”
Chelsea Goldpixie’s expression crumbled.
“What…what? This…this can’t be happening.”
Chelsea exclaimed in disbelief. Damien leaned back in his chair.
“What can’t be happening?”
“Oh…no…it’s not that…Wh…why would you refuse? I told you. I’ll fulfill everything you desire!”
“I don’t need your help.”
“W…why would you refuse? Did you swear allegiance to my father or something? You must be mistaken. Do you know how cruel my father is? That man… he did things to me and my mother…”
Damien raised his hand, interrupting Chelsea Goldpixie.
“I have no interest in the domestic affairs of your family. Stop talking about it.”
Damien only wanted to use the duke’s power to restrain the marquis. He had no interest in who the duke was as a person.
“Listen for a moment! If you hear it, you’ll understand. How untrustworthy and cruel my father is….”
“From the start, what I desire is something you cannot fulfill.”
“What? What is it that you want?”
“The happiness of my family.”
Chelsea Goldpixie wore a blank expression in response to Damien’s answer.
“What… what?”
“My family’s happiness, peace and well-being—all these are the things you cannot provide.”
To protect his family, Damien needed to constrain the Marquis.
And for that, Damien had to participate in a duel and defeat Michael Ryan Bloom.
No, even if it weren’t for those reasons, Damien had no intention of conceding to Chelsea Goldpixie’s demands.
After all, she had allied herself with a dark mage.
“I’ll be on my way now. Tell Guillaume Blackwing to prepare for the duel.”
Damien rose from his chair. He turned to leave the hall.
“…Your family seems precious to you, doesn’t it?”
Chelsea Goldpixie’s words made Damien pause.
“Well, how about I phrase it differently? Resign from the representative position. Otherwise, I’ll send people to crush the Viscounty of Haksen.”
Chelsea Goldpixie couldn’t finish her sentence.
Suddenly, Damien’s hand emerged and seized her by the throat.
“How dare you touch my body… Ugh!”
Damien tightened his grip. It wasn’t a human hand; it felt like the pressure of iron clamping down on her throat.
“Kuk! Kugu…Kugh!”
Chelsea Goldpixie wriggled, unable to breathe.
Damien gazed at her with indifference.
As if observing the dying moment.
That’s when it happened.
“Lady Chelsea!”
“How dare you lay hands on Lady!”
Two knights guarding the entrance noticed the commotion and rushed towards Damien.
Even with the two knights closing in, Damien’s gaze remained solely fixed on Chelsea Goldpixie.
“Let go of her immediately!”
The two knights gripped their sword hilts, ready to draw and strike Damien.
Damien released Chelsea’s throat. Simultaneously, he picked up the utensils on the table.
He swung the utensils toward the knights. The dull knife used for cutting meat passed by the necks of the two knights.
Blood burst from the knights’ necks. They clutched their throats, twisting their bodies.
“I made a shallow cut, so if you apply a potion right away, you won’t die.”
After saying that, Damien turned his attention back to Chelsea Goldpixie.
Chelsea Goldpixie was sitting on the floor, breathing heavily.
“Chelsea Goldpixie.”
Startled, Chelsea Goldpixie looked up at Damien. Gradually, she began trembling under Damien’s icy gaze.
“The reason I didn’t kill you right here is not because I fear retaliation from the Duke.”
Just a moment ago, Damien had internalized countless conflicts.
He wanted to cut Chelsea Goldpixie’s throat right here.
But that felt too merciful a punishment.
“Anticipate it. Tomorrow, something dreadful will happen to you.”
With those words, Damien left the restaurant.
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Demon God’s male Disciple]
[Quality Checker – Kawaii]