Chapter 44

"Are you... not going to scold me?"

"Why would I scold you?"

Conrad answered Otto's question as if he didn't understand what he was talking about.

"Because my grandson took care of that Kuzo, right?"

"Huh?"

"Kukukuku~!"

It seemed that Conrad had been harboring a deep grudge against Kuzo.

Until now, he couldn't touch Javier and Kuzo because there was no successor.

"Since you took care of Kuzo, this old man is in a very good mood!"

"Haha... hahaha..."

"Very well done!"

"Hehehehe, thank you for looking at it kindly..."

"Yes! Then I'll be going, so try to sober up. Don't throw up, you brat."

"..."

"You ate a lot, didn't you? Tsk tsk tsk!"

Conrad glanced at the vomit Otto had thrown up, chuckled, and left.

"Fortunately."

Camille said to Otto.

"I thought he would issue a harsh order, but it went well."

"Y-Yeah..."

"Anyway, what do you plan to do?"

"What?"

"Javier and Kuzo won't just sit still."

"Of course not."

Otto nodded.

"By now, they're probably trembling in fear, aren't they? Out of anger?"

"You've stirred up a hornet's nest... Can you handle the consequences?"

"Did I stir it up? It was Kairos, right?"

"That's true, but..."

"It doesn't matter."

Otto said firmly.

"Anyway, blood must be seen. Although it was an unexpected accident, we need to respond well."

"You should be careful."

"Of course. But let's put that aside for now and go to the training ground for a sparring session."

"Again today? You seem to have a bad hangover. Shouldn't you rest today...?"

"If I rest every time I feel a bit unwell, when will I get stronger?"

"That's true, but..."

"Be honest."

Otto glared at Camille with snake-like eyes.

"Are you trying to let me rest while you train alone?"

"Me...?"

"Are you afraid I'll catch up, so you're planning to train secretly?"

"No, but..."

Camille felt a twinge inside but put on a serious face.

"I acknowledge that Your Highness has become stronger in a short time, but it will take a long time for you to catch up to me."

"Is that so?"

"Come on. I'll show you the difference between you and me."

"Call."

With that, Otto, still half-drunk, overcame his hangover and dragged himself to the training ground to spar with Camille.

'To get stronger quickly, I have to grit my teeth and work hard.'

The key now is to increase the proficiency of the <Invincible Sword Technique>.

With a sparring partner as excellent as Camille, he couldn't afford to waste time.

"Ready?"

"Anytime."

The sparring began.

"Uuuuuuugh!"

Otto was rolling on the training ground floor, vomiting violently, just 10 minutes into the sparring.

The intense movement while suffering from a hangover had made his stomach turn upside down.

- Tsk tsk tsk. You're such a weakling.

'What the hell?'

- When I was in my prime, I would run all night, sleep for an hour, and then go to the battlefield!

'Quit your old man talk and shut up! Do you think I'll let you possess my body again? Ugh!'

Otto vowed never to let Kairos drink again.

* * *

Meanwhile, Javier was seething with rage over the incident from the previous night.

"That bastard dared to... to my son!!!"

Kuzo, who had been beaten up and returned, was in a terrible state.

Half of his facial bones were broken, his nose was completely smashed, and over ten of his teeth were broken.

And it was at the hands of a <nobody who knows where he came from>, who threatened his position as the successor.

"A, Father..."

Kuzo, with his face wrapped in bandages, spoke weakly to Javier.

"That guy... is a demon... a demon..."

"What...?"

"I saw it... a demon standing in the middle of hell... H-Hiiiiik!!!"

Kuzo had a seizure like a madman.

He was still under the influence of the hallucination of the Cannibal Emperor Kairos and hadn't regained his senses.

"Snap out of it! You brat! Snap out of it!"

"Aaah! Aaaaaah!"

"Damn it!"

Javier, seeing Kuzo suffer from PTSD, was furious.

'How strong could he be?'

He also had doubts.

Kuzo, being the designated successor of the Kuntach family, was a fairly skilled magus.

Although he was considered the weakest among the successors, he was not someone who could be easily subdued by a nobody from the countryside.

"Well... that's right... a nobody couldn't have opened the Sacred Ground... He must have had some confidence... but that's as far as it goes. Do you think the one who did this to my son will get away with it?"

Javier muttered to himself and then immediately went downstairs.

In the basement of Javier's mansion was a highly secret research facility where all kinds of terrifying magic and biological experiments were conducted.

Javier went to the place where the most dangerous and terrifying items were stored and took out a black lamp.

"O one darker than darkness... O one who descends with the twilight..."

Javier chanted a spell.

Sssss!

A black mist spewed out of the lamp and formed a shape.

- Did you call me...?

"Kruger... O specter of assassination..."

- O one who desires the death of another... Who do you wish to kill that you called me...?

"Kill Otto de Scuderi."

- Tonight... your wish will be granted...

The black mist named Kruger said and then left the laboratory through the ventilation duct.

"Hehehe... that dog..."

Javier smiled sinisterly.

"The price for touching my son can only be paid with death... Hehehehehe!"

Javier was certain that the assassination of Otto would succeed.

Kruger, the specter of death, was a being Javier had prepared to assassinate Conrad.

Although the chances of success against the head of the family, Conrad, were slim, he had saved it for Otto.

Since Otto was still just a kid, Kruger would be more than enough to assassinate him.

* * *

That evening.

A grand party was held in the castle.

It was the occasion for Conrad to formally introduce Otto.

"I, as the king of the principality and the head of the great Kuntach family, hereby formally recognize this child as a member of our Kuntach family. Is there anyone who has any objections to my decision?"

Conrad asked.

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

"I agree!"

There was not a single person who opposed.

Regardless of their status or rank, all the blood relatives, vassals, and knights of the Kuntach family recognized Otto as a member of the Kuntach family.

Although his surname had not changed to Kuntach, the fact that he had opened the Sacred Ground and obtained the swordsmanship and power of the Invincible Emperor was enough to be recognized as a member of the family.

Meanwhile, Javier, who attended the party, was seething with rage.

'Those treacherous bastards!'

Javier's eyes flared with anger as he saw those who had been on his side now approaching Otto to greet him and make acquaintances.

"Nice to meet you! It's finally a formal introduction, isn't it? Hehehe!"

"It's an honor to meet you, young master."

"You are a fine young man! How could you be so handsome! Hahaha!"

The situation had clearly changed.

Except for a few loyalists who still supported Javier and Kuzo, almost everyone seemed to have high hopes for Otto, the new successor candidate.

This was because the Kuntach family had been significantly weakened by various incidents in the past.

'These dirty bats... You'll soon realize that the rope you've grabbed is rotten... I'll remember each and every one of you... The price for betraying us will be severe... Hehehehehe!'

Javier vowed to purge all the traitors after Otto was killed that night.

Meanwhile, Otto was having a hard time because of Kairos' nagging.

- Brat! How can you nibble on these excellent drinks and foods!

'Hey! Can't you see I'm busy?'

- Just 30 minutes, please!

'Are you crazy? Do you know how much I've suffered from a hangover since this morning? I can still smell alcohol in my throat!'

Ignoring Kairos' request, Otto continued to greet the Kuntach family members and make a good impression.

To plant a good image in their minds, he needed to act sociably now, so that things would be easier when he inherited the Kuntach principality from Conrad.

* * *

That night.

After successfully making his debut in the Kuntach family, Otto did not go to bed.

"Are you going to war or something?"

Camille asked Otto, who was putting on his equipment.

"What war? Just call it preparation."

"Preparation for what?"

"Assassination."

"Oh."

"Javier and Kuzo won't let this slide. I bet an assassin will come tonight."

"Then I'll get ready too."

"Good."

Otto and Camille stayed awake all night, armed and ready.

'What will come?'

Otto didn't know exactly what kind of assassin Javier would send.

There were five patterns for Javier to assassinate Otto.

'I hope it's not Kruger.'

Right at that moment.

Pik!

One of the candles in the room went out.

"!"

It wasn't just that.

The magical lamps made of mana stones also began to flicker and go out one by one.

"Damn it."

Otto gritted his teeth as the light sources went out.

"What is it?"

"The most troublesome opponent."

"Me...?"

"Be careful. One wrong move and you're dead."

As soon as Otto finished speaking, pitch-black darkness enveloped the world.

Complete darkness, without a single speck of light.

And from that darkness, screams began to echo.

"Aaah!"

"Aaah!"

The screams of the royal guards protecting Otto and Camille's residence.

"Emergency, emergency!"

"Enemies!"

"Light the lamps!"

The guards tried to cast spells to light up the area, but it was futile.

No matter what they did, they couldn't produce any light, making it impossible to see.

"Camille, stay close to me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

As soon as Camille was by his side, Otto immediately activated the <Piercing> skill from the <Calypso's Eye> skill set.

Sssss!

Otto's eyes turned a deep green.

Woo!

The dark vision became clear like a black-and-white screen.

The <Piercing> skill not only allowed him to see through objects but also functioned like a real-world night vision device, allowing him to clearly distinguish objects and terrain in the darkness.

'Where are you?'

Otto, with the <Piercing> skill activated, remained vigilant.

Then,

'Here it comes.'

Otto noticed a faint figure passing through the door and approaching him, and pushed Camille to the side.

Swish!

The faint figure swung a sharp sword made of shadows.

Clang!

Otto's sword clashed with the shadow sword.

- ...!

The faint figure paused, stopping its movement.

- Could it be... that I'm visible?