... Ihan had many questions.
What could have possibly happened in the five hours he had been away from the estate?
And why—
“...are you in such a ragged state, Kunta?”
“C-Coach, be gentle with the healing. Kunta hurts a lot.”
“Stop whining.”
After roughly bandaging him up and thoroughly soaking the wrappings with a potion, Kunta’s expression relaxed noticeably.
It wasn’t the kind of injury that could heal with just this level of treatment, but as expected of a Barbarian—
With their naturally superior physical constitution, his recovery was swift.
“Feeling better now?”
“Kunta is fine. But I need to return to Arno and Kuma right away. They’re in danger.”
“...Tell me exactly what happened first.”
“The kids are in danger right now. They’ve been captured. And those guys said... If I didn’t bring you, they’d do something terrible to them!”
“Those guys?”
“They were strange. Their pupils were weird, and their skin looked unnatural. But most of all—they were unbelievably strong!”
“......”
Ihan had a bad feeling he knew exactly who Kunta was describing.
‘Demi-Fiends?’
The traits Kunta pointed out matched those of the Demi-Fiends.
Those who consumed special elixirs made from monster flesh to obtain the power of the "Fiend."
Ihan’s expression hardened instantly, yet something about this felt off.
Something was... strange.
“The Swordmaster?”
“I don’t know. At least, when they were threatening Kunta, she wasn’t anywhere in sight.”
“...What is that woman doing?”
Even with the presence of a great warrior like the Swordmaster, the fact that the Demi-Fiends were freely running rampant, capturing Arno and using Kunta as a pawn to deliver their threat—it didn’t add up.
Even if she lacked humanity, her strength wasn’t something that could simply be ignored.
“......”
Suddenly—
“Iliad. What happened to him?”
“Hm? Arno’s father? No idea. I... didn’t see him...?”
“......”
Smack!
Ihan reflexively slapped his forehead.
A dreadful possibility flashed through his mind.
‘Did they target her only weakness?’
If—if those bastards had taken the Swordmaster’s blood kin hostage...
Then...
“...Haah, those insane lunatics. Are they trying to drag everyone down with them?”
Ihan clenched his fists.
Demi-Fiends? No, the cult behind them—those bastards were completely insane.
They had been quiet for some time, and now they were pulling this kind of insane move...
“Lower than beasts...”
Ihan was furious.
That the Offen estate had been attacked? He didn’t care.
He had only been there for two weeks—what did it matter to him if they were attacked or not?
But the ones who had been captured were different.
Levi, who had been training at the Offen estate.
Arno, who had been assisting her.
Kunta, who had been with them.
Those three were his disciples. His people.
And the fact that someone had dared to lay hands on his disciples—
Ihan’s brow furrowed so deeply that the veins bulged from his forehead, his irritation and fury reaching a boiling point.
“C-Coach...”
“...Coach is scarier...”
The sheer pressure radiating from him crushed the air around them, weighing down on the ground itself.
“...Who are the bastards that did this? The ones who hurt you?”
“......”
“Those fuckers are dead.”
“Coach...”
Ihan stared at the bloodied and injured Kunta.
Moved, Kunta’s voice trembled—
“T-This injury... It’s from taking a shortcut and rolling off a cliff. N-Not from an enemy attack.”
“......”
“B-But still... Thanks, Coach. For getting mad on Kunta’s behalf. If you want... I can show you the cliff?”
“......”
“Coach?”
“...Get down.”
“??”
“Get down, head on the ground, you bastard.”
“...Kunta is a patient?”
“So?”
“......How should I do it?”
Barbarians might be slow on the uptake, but they were quick to catch on.
...Especially when forced.
***
Meanwhile, the Offen estate was silent.
If Kunta’s words were accurate, the situation should have been on the verge of a battle. And yet, the eerie stillness was enough to set one’s nerves on edge.
Like the quiet before a storm.
A suffocating silence, thick with the prelude to bloodshed.
And within that silence—
“Sir Ali. Sir Mohan. I never expected you two to fall so far.”
Arno glared at the men surrounding them, his fierce eyes gleaming like those of a wolf.
“Haha, you still call us ‘Sir’?”
“Such composure even in this situation. Haha, impressive. At your age, I was nothing but a reckless fool. To control your emotions so well—you truly have the makings of a great swordsman. A blessing to the Offen family.”
Grit!
Hearing them dare to utter praise for the ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) Offen family made Arno grit his teeth unconsciously.
Ali and Mohan.
Normally, they weren’t stationed at the estate.
They were the captain and vice-captain of the Offen hunting corps, responsible for keeping monsters at bay in the dangerous forests beyond the estate’s walls.
Their skills were equivalent to that of the family’s elite knights. They were descendants of retainers who had served the household for generations.
Loyal men. Respected swordsmen.
And yet, this...
“What on earth possessed you to turn to such vile power? Why align yourselves with heretics...?”
Ali and Mohan looked grotesque.
Their eyes had turned white as if afflicted by albinism. Their skin had erupted with rough, unnatural protrusions.
They looked less like humans and more like monsters.
It was unmistakable.
They had undergone [Demonization].
Arno knew that once Demonization was complete, there was no turning back.
And so, alongside his fury, there was... pity.
That these men—who had dedicated their lives to the sword—had now crossed an irreversible threshold into corruption.
“...Do you pity us? Even in this situation?”
“You’re still soft, Young Master. Well, I suppose the Head of the Household was never particularly strict.”
“......”
“Young Master?”
Arno remained silent.
He had no intention of continuing this conversation.
Instead, he turned—
“...My apologies, Lady Levi. For displaying such disgrace from my family before a guest.”
“No need to apologize. I came to the Offen estate to train. This is merely an extension of that. More importantly, how are you holding up? It must be painful to see your family’s swordsmen betray you...”
Read latest chapters at freёweɓnovel.com Only.
“You worry about others even in this situation?”
“It’s not like we’re in any real danger. We’re just detained, aren’t we? I went through worse when I was with the Folt family, you know? Haha.”
“...I apologize.”
Realizing he had touched upon a painful past, Arno quickly apologized.
But rather than being upset, Levi chuckled softly.
As if it was all in the past.
“It’s fine. I’ll never have to see them again anyway. But the real question is—who orchestrated this? Judging by the circumstances, it seems like that heretical organization everyone’s been whispering about is involved... but I doubt they’re the only ones.”
“I think so too. Someone higher up in the family must be working with them to seize control.”
“Do you have a suspect?”
“Yes.”
“A-Ahem, Young Master? We’re right here, you know...?”
Even with the two Demi-Fiends right in front of them, the two continued their conversation as if the captors were invisible.
Not out of arrogance.
But because these traitors had made no real attempt to harm them—only to capture them.
“As long as Grandmother is alive, they can’t harm us. Even they wouldn’t want to face the Swordmaster’s wrath.”
“She must already be furious.”
“That’s why they’re putting their lives on the line. Besides... he wouldn’t hesitate to gamble with his life. He’s just a senile old ‘cockroach’ with no time left to live.”
“Oh....”
Levi blinked, surprised at how coarse Arno’s words had become.
But—
“Who’s the cockroach?”
Levi, ever understanding, humored him.
Arno chuckled coldly.
“There is one. A swordsman who should have devoted himself to the blade but still clings to political power instead... Isn’t that right, Great-Uncle?”
Boom!
At that moment, the doors burst open.
And from within—
“...You insolent brat. Still wet behind the ears, yet you dare provoke me?”
A stubborn old man strode forward, and Arno sneered.
He had known it would be him.
“Allow me to introduce you, Lady Levi. My once ‘expected’ predecessor—Gardin de Offen. A ghost of our family.”
***
Thud!
The old man slammed his cane against the floor.
For someone who looked like nothing but skin and bones, the sheer force he radiated in that moment was overwhelming. His gaze bore into Arno.
“Watch that arrogant mouth of yours, you wet-behind-the-ears brat.”
“If the blood in one’s head dries, they die. Please, stop spouting ignorant nonsense, Granduncle.”
“Your tongue has grown sharp. You used to know at least some manners.”
“Manners are only meant for those who deserve them, are they not? Besides, my teacher once told me, ‘Respect is reserved for those who have earned it. Against those who haven’t, you’re free to be as harsh as you want.’”
“Hah! What a reckless teaching. Sometimes, one must learn to bow to survive.”
“That is not the logic of a swordsman. That is the logic of a politician. How much longer do you plan to play your little political games, Granduncle?”
Their words were mere verbal sparring, and yet the air between them crackled like a battlefield.
They bore the same surname, Offen. They shared the same blood.
And yet, their relationship was far colder than that of strangers.
“...Gardin? Ah, you mean the one who once ranked among the kingdom’s top hundred swordsmen?”
Gardin—he had been adopted into the Offen family as a branch member in place of Felicia, who had been deemed talentless as a child.
But the word branch member did little justice to him. He was a prodigy of the highest caliber.
By the time he was thirty, he had risen to the highest martial position in the Offen family, Grand Instructor. If Felicia had never returned to the kingdom, the seat of Head of House would undoubtedly have been his.
“All of that is in the past, Lady Levi. Now, I’m nothing more than a cockroach that refuses to die.”
“...Shall I see for myself whether that past is truly dead?”
Whoosh!
The pressure surging from Gardin’s body was no trivial thing.
Though the room was enclosed, it felt as if sharp winds were slicing through the air.
The killing intent was palpable, stinging against the skin.
Proof that the title of one of the kingdom’s Hundred Swordsmen had not been an empty one.
“Hah. Compared to my instructor, this is barely a breeze.”
And yet, Arno did not flinch.
His opponent was far stronger than him, that was undeniable.
But ever since joining the academy, he had been exposed daily to an aura that was far more brutal, far more oppressive.
And so—
“If Grandmother spared your life, you should have spent your remaining years rotting away in the back rooms. Why did you crawl out into the world again, making this mess?”
Arno was unrelenting.
Gardin’s eyes gleamed with intrigue.
He’s better than I thought.
“Impressive. It’s almost hard to believe you share that wench Felicia’s blood. Tch. Then again, she always had good luck with people.”
The way he spat out Felicia’s name—his gritted teeth, his unconcealed hatred—
There was no mistaking it.
What Gardin harbored toward Felicia was not mere rivalry.
It was disgust. Loathing.
“...You ask why I came out of the shadows instead of rotting away? Isn’t it obvious?”
A manic gleam flickered in the old man’s eyes.
“The opportunity has finally arrived for me to reclaim my rightful place. Only a fool would let it slip away.”
“And what place do you think is yours?”
“Silence!”
Snap!
“This place was always mine!”
“......”
What an absurd level of arrogance.
To think that even at ninety years old, he still burned with such an insatiable thirst for power...
They say power is a drug one cannot quit even in death. Seems that saying is right on the mark.
Arno was beyond exhausted with this.
The fact that this senile relic had clung to his ambition for decades, to the point of allying with a heretical faction and transforming his own men into Demi-Fiends—
It was sickening.
Can a human being reek of decay this much?
“...You’ve made a grave mistake in choosing your opponent.”
“Hah! You speak of that wench Felicia? Of course, she’s frightening. There isn’t a soul in this world who does not fear an Aura User. But that woman cannot move right now. She’s trapped in a prison of her own making! What can she possibly do?”
“......”
“Oh, she’ll have to make a choice eventually, but I know her. That fool hesitates over everything outside of the sword. It will take years for her to act. And in that time, much can change.”
Gardin was brimming with confidence.
The certainty in his voice—he truly believed that the disaster that was an Aura User would remain bound and unable to interfere.
He even smirked, delighted at the mere thought of Felicia drowning in helplessness.
But then—
“I wasn’t talking about Grandmother.”
“...What?”
“Grandmother at least holds back when she fights. But that person—you shouldn’t expect any restraint from them.”
“?”
“If I had to describe them...”
RUMBLEEEEEEEEE!!
“......Ah. Like this, perhaps.”
“???”
A massive tremor shook the mansion.
It was as if the very earth was groaning.
The entire estate quaked under the impact.
And then—
KRAAAAAA-BOOOOOOOOOM—!!!
A deafening explosion rocked the air.
The mansion split apart as if struck by a meteor.
The ground shattered. Walls crumbled.
People were flung off their feet, unable to keep their balance.
And even those who did manage to stay standing—
It didn’t matter.
Because—
[WHERE ARE MY KIDS—?!!]
A voice roared through the air.
No. Not just through the air.
Through the entire estate.
A sound so thunderous, it could have ruptured eardrums.
“......”
“I told you, you picked the wrong person to mess with.”
“......”
“And just so you know...”
Arno exhaled slowly.
“Even we can’t stop her when she gets like this. So...”
He let a smirk curl at his lips.
—May you rest in peace.
With an expression of pure amusement, he offered his final words to the wraith standing before him.