The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 136

– “Aka, Aka…”

– “Kirik, Kiririk! Kirik!”

– “It hurts, kill me, it hurts, kill me, it hurts…”

– “Kehe, kehehehek! Hehek!”

Inside the Slaughter Tower, iron bars lined the walls on all sides, and countless monsters were imprisoned within them.

Some monsters muttered “kill me” in their own languages.

Monsters that understood the Empire’s language begged in human speech.

Some monsters had completely lost their sanity and were laughing madly.

The state of the monsters in the prison was so indescribable that detailed descriptions were omitted.

“Ah…”

– “The Demonic Sword Seere shouted, ‘Get a grip! Don’t walk towards the wall, you idiot!’ to its dazed cowardly contractor.”

“This is why I hate towers… All towers in the world should disappear…”

– “…Hey, keep your head together!”

At the hellish sight of the mortal world, Unknown muttered with a half-lost soul expression, while the Demonic Sword Seere struggled desperately to keep its contractor’s sanity intact.

“Ah! The groans of repentance from these punished souls! I feel like I’m home again!”

The Priestess Lunia raised her arms high, enjoying the familiar blood scent and groans of pain filling the tower.

She was always a lively woman, but today, she seemed even more exuberant than usual.

“Huh, really.”

Aden sighed as he watched the two.

Despite being on a mission to prevent the fall of one of the three great orders, there was not a single sane person among them.

Aden felt a momentary sense of doubt, wondering, “Why are there only people like this around me?”

It seemed he was the only normal one.

– “Are you serious, Dragon Slayer?”

‘Why? Is there a problem?’

– “…Nothing at all.”

How bland.

Aden felt no particular emotion upon seeing the inside of the Slaughter Tower.

He had already seen it once in his previous life, and during the Great War of Talos, he had seen places like the “Talos Prison Camp” or the “Talos Torture Chamber,” which were higher-level counterparts.

Both were departments handled by the Slaughter Cult.

The Slaughter Tower consisted of seven floors.

The top floor was the sanctuary where the saintess resided.

However, Aden had no intention of going up.

He moved to one side of the first floor.

There, a large door stood.

“The tomb of the previous saintesses.”

Separate from the seven floors was the eighth floor, the underground level.

This was the place Aden intended to enter.

There was a clue to enter the underground labyrinth there.

Only the saintess was allowed to enter this place, and others were prohibited from entering.

Even a candidate for the next saintess could not enter.

Because of this, it was necessary to lure the priests of the Slaughter Cult outside.

An ancient magic spell was cast on the door, preventing anyone but the saintess from entering.

This needed to be undone.

“Hey, Unknown.”

“I hate towers… Towers are the worst…”

“…”

Smack!

Aden struck Unknown, who was still muttering senselessly, on the back of the head.

“Ouch!”

“Get a grip and check this door. Find a way to enter.”

“Ugh! You didn’t have to hit me so hard… Fine, just don’t raise your hand again. Okay? Let’s talk this through.”

Quickly changing his stance, Unknown began examining the spell engraved on the door leading underground, afraid of getting hit again.

“Let’s see… Hmm, it’s quite intricately twisted? Yep, classic ones are always trickier, here and here…”

Then, he infused energy into the tip of the Demonic Sword Seere, probing and analyzing the spell at various points.

“Aden, do you really think he can dismantle the protective spell on the door? I heard it’s extremely difficult!”

Aden nodded at Priestess Lunia’s curious question.

“Yes, it is indeed not something just anyone can do.”

Analyzing and dismantling ancient spells was difficult even for high-ranking magicians.

However, for the thief Unknown, such worries were unnecessary.

He was a peerless thief who would one day successfully infiltrate the imperial palace armed with countless security devices, and an expert in disarming traps.

About five minutes passed.

“Done!”

With a triumphant shout from Unknown,

Rumble!

The thick door opened to both sides, revealing the stairs leading down to the basement.

“Hahaha! There’s no lock that can’t be opened in front of this Unknown!”

“Wow! You really did it. That’s amazing skill!”

“Hahahah! This is nothing…”

“Impressive, Mr. Unknown!”

“…Hehehe!”

Having successfully dismantled the ancient spell, Unknown became even more confident, and when Priestess Lunia praised him, his pride shot up to the sky.

“Alright, let’s stop the chatter and head in.”

As Aden, Lunia, and Unknown descended the stairs leading to the basement, a vast space soon unfolded before their eyes.

Priestess Lunia exclaimed, “Wow!”

“This is the sanctuary of the Saintesses! This is my first time seeing it with my own eyes!”

It was the tomb of the Saintesses throughout the ages.

Underneath the space adorned with magnificent murals and patterns, glass coffins lined the rounded walls.

Priestess Lunia’s golden eyes sparkled brightly in admiration, while Unknown’s gray eyes showed a hint of fear.

“W-wait! Those things inside the glass are all corpses, right? I mean, they are really dead, right?”

“Yes, Mr. Unknown. These are the remains of the great Saintesses of the past!”

“Eek, but why aren’t they decomposing! They’re corpses, aren’t they? They look like they’re just sleeping! Although, if they were rotting skeletons, that would be even scarier…”

The remains of the Saintesses inside the glass coffins were perfectly preserved, looking as vibrant as they did in life.

At a glance, it was easy to mistake them for simply sleeping rather than being dead.

Aden calmly explained, “It must be because of the holy power they possessed.”

“Holy power…?”

“Saintesses are special beings.”

Saintesses were beings created to serve as bridges between the divine and humans.

Unlike ordinary priests, the remains of a Saintess did not decompose after death, as the divine power they held lingered.

This applied not only to the Saintesses of the Slaughter Cult but to the Saints of other orders as well.

It was proof that they were truly sacred beings who served the will of the gods in life.

“Wow! Here’s Master Merida!”

“Huh, what? This is your master, Miss Lunia?”

Priestess Lunia exclaimed as she discovered one of the glass coffins, drawing the natural attention of Aden and Unknown.

Inside the glass coffin lay a very beautiful woman, with white cloth covering her eyes and her hands neatly clasped over her chest.

The Blind Saintess, Merida Lunious.

She was the 53rd Saintess of the Slaughter Cult, and the former Saintess who had her position usurped by the Conquering Saintess Spica.

She was the master of both Spica and Lunia.

Given that this was the resting place for all the Saintesses of the past, it was only natural that her body was also here.

‘I heard she was over seventy years old, but she looks so young.’

All the remains of the Saintesses looked young, in their twenties.

Unlike the Sacred Fire Order, which passed on the position to the next Saint every fifty years, causing the former Saint to age and lose power, the Saintesses of the Slaughter Cult maintained their youth and held their position until death.

The reason was simple.

‘The younger they are, the better they fight, and the stronger they are.’

This was the arrangement made by the Slaughter God for this unique order where only the strong could retain the position of Saintess.

“Master Merida. It is I, your disciple, Lunia Lunious!”

Priestess Lunia smiled brightly before the remains of Saintess Merida.

Despite returning from a pilgrimage only to face her master’s remains, her attitude remained unchanged.

Indeed, the Slaughter Cult was a difficult order to understand.

“I’ve experienced so much while on pilgrimage! There were so many things I couldn’t have imagined while I was in the tower!”

Priestess Lunia talked about various things in front of Saintess Merida’s glass coffin.

“There were many people who committed such evil deeds that they deserved punishment, just as you said, Master Merida. Most of them were bandits! Once, some people mistook me for an ordinary traveler and attacked me at night. All of them were offered to the god as sacrifices!”

She recounted her first experience of encountering and exterminating bandits.

“Oh! And I met the young Saintess of the Sacred Fire Order. She was very cute and kind! Despite being young, her martial skills were quite impressive, showing great promise for the future!”

She spoke of the impressive people she met.

“There was also a lot of delicious food. Vegetable stew, sandwiches, spaghetti, oh dear! There are so many kinds that I can’t mention them all here!”

She shared trivial stories.

Even though her master couldn’t hear her words and couldn’t respond with, ‘Is that so?’

“…and so, I finally found Prince Aden, the savior from the prophecy! I delivered the message! I fulfilled the command you entrusted to me, Master Merida!”

She conveyed all the many experiences she had gone through.

As the story lengthened, Aden could only watch her with deep eyes in silence.

Despite Priestess Lunia’s cheerful and bright words, the air around her seemed to carry a sense of solemnity.

A few conversations with the Iron-Blooded Saintess, who was usually very taciturn, came to his mind.

“Hey, Spica. I didn’t know you had camaraderie among yourselves.”

“It’s not like we don’t have emotions, Sir Albireo.”

He didn’t remember when, where, or in what situation they had this conversation, but he remembered it clearly.

“We’re just… a little different from others. Yes… just different.”

The Iron-Blooded Saintess’s response was devoid of inflection yet filled with many thoughts.

Aden could never fathom what thoughts or feelings she harbored within her as she spoke those words.

She was always a person whose inner thoughts were a mystery.

However, from the appearance of Priestess Lunia, he could at least somewhat understand the meaning of those words.

Servants of the god who spill blood in the wastelands.

Priests of madness.

Indeed, they were lunatics.

But, that didn’t mean…

“Sigh, but if possible…”

Priestess Lunia let out a short sigh and then cheerfully continued.

“If possible, I would have liked to report to Lady Merida while she was still alive! But I believe she is listening! My master is not one to hear with one ear and let it out the other.”

Even they were not just ‘monsters’ or devoid of emotions.

Looking at Priestess Lunia, Aden felt this once again.

* * *

The way to prevent the annihilation of the Slaughter Cult lay in the underground labyrinth of the Slaughter Tower.

And the entrance to that underground labyrinth was here in this mausoleum.

Priestess Lunia raised her hand brightly.

“There was such a labyrinth in our cult? This is the first time I’ve heard of it, Prince Aden!”

“That’s because it’s natural you wouldn’t know.”

It was a truth forgotten even by the Saintesses.

It was a secret that would not be revealed for almost another seven years.

Aden needed to bring that seven-year timeline forward and enter the underground labyrinth.

The method was simple, but there was something he needed to say to Priestess Lunia beforehand.

“Priestess Lunia.”

“Yes, Prince Aden!”

“Will you promise not to hold me responsible for what I am about to do?”

“Of course!”

Priestess Lunia replied as if it was obvious.

“Prince Aden has assured us that there is a way to overcome this crisis and promised to cooperate! Whatever you do, it must also be for the cult! Isn’t that right?”

“That’s right.”

“Then there’s no problem! Do as you wish, Prince Aden!”

“That’s good to hear.”

Aden smiled broadly at Priestess Lunia’s assurance.

“Because from now on, I’m going to have to destroy this mausoleum.”

“…What do you mean by that?”

Priestess Lunia blinked with an angelic expression, tilting her head.

“Is that some kind of metaphor?”

“I mean it literally.”

Instead of explaining, Aden decided to show her by action, drawing Baalzebul.

Whhaaaaa!

He infused the sword with the formidable energy of a blue aura blade.

Aden grinned mischievously.

“Priestess Lunia, you gave me permission, so I will do as I please.”

“D-damn. I have a bad feeling about this, Sere.”

– The demonic sword Sere strongly agrees with you.

Saying this, Aden began to swing Baalzebul, wrapped in an aura blade, wildly.

Towards the center of the mausoleum floor.

Clang!

The floor was ruthlessly slashed into multiple lines…

Bang!

The mausoleum floor completely collapsed and caved in.

The shattered floor fragments were sucked into the impenetrable darkness below…

“Priestess Lunia, just wait up there!”

“Ahhh! Save meee!”

Aden shouted as he fell with the rocks, and Unknown screamed as he vanished into the endless underground.

Only Priestess Lunia, standing on the periphery, was left to witness the scene.

“…”

Alone in the wrecked mausoleum, Priestess Lunia’s cheerful expression froze.

“…Huh?”

At this moment, Aden had probably become the first and only person in history to bestow the emotion of ‘bewilderment’ upon a priest of the Slaughter Cult.