Chapter 15: The Return of the Doom-Class Death Knight

Chapter 15. Warning (1)

The Ryanbloom Manor.

A strange event was unfolding at this place, known as the best swordsmanship school in the Apple Kingdom.

Four young men were standing with wooden swords, repeatedly swallowing their saliva. They were all looking at a middle-aged man standing in front of them.

He was sturdy, but that was all. He wasn't particularly large or strong-looking.

"Have you all warmed up sufficiently?"

However, the young men were tense, their eyes fixed on every move the man made.

"Then let's start, shall we?"

But the young men were still hesitant.

The middle-aged man clicked his tongue at their hesitation.

"I thought you were lion cubs. Turns out you're just puppies."

The young, spirited men couldn't just stand there and take such an insult.

Their eyes changed, and one by one, they lifted their wooden swords.

The man smiled approvingly at their reaction.

"Now you're starting to look like it."

The young men charged forward with shouts, and the man responded with his wooden sword.

And in the blink of an eye, it was over.

The young men were lying on the ground, each having been hit by the wooden sword. The middle-aged man, however, was unscathed.

"Not bad, all of you. Now I can't afford to be careless either."

One of the young men pouted at the middle-aged man's words.

"Even so, not a single one of us could block the Marquis's strike."

In the Apple Kingdom, very few people could be called a Marquis.

And among the Marquises, only one had this level of skill.

Holland Ryanbloom.

The middle-aged man was the head of the Ryanbloom Marquis family.

"I have my dignity. I can't let you catch up to me so easily."

Holland Ryanbloom laughed heartily.

"Keep improving, all of you."

"Yes!"

The young men stood up from the ground and responded loudly.

Holding his wooden sword, Holland Ryanbloom left the training ground.

"Thank you for your hard work."

As soon as Holland Marquis came out, an elderly gentleman handed him a towel.

Wiping the sweat off, Holland Marquis said,

"Vincent, the knights' skills have improved a lot. Now I might lose if I'm not careful."

The elderly man, Vincent, just smiled without a word.

The young men who had lost to Holland Marquis were all strong Low-Class Knights.

Even a Squire, who can manipulate Aura, is considered a formidable force.

A Low-Class Knight is so powerful that even a few Squires couldn't defeat one.

Despite having four Low-Class Knights, none of them could even touch Holland Marquis.

However, it wasn't something the knights should be ashamed of.

This man, Holland Ryanbloom, was a formidable warrior on the verge of reaching the Swordmaster level.

"Have you decided on the knights to send to the duel?"

At Vincent's question, Holland Marquis fell into thought.

"There are a few promising ones, but I need to observe them more to be sure."

The Ryanbloom Marquis family was currently in conflict with the Goldfairy Duke family.

A gold mine had been discovered on the border between the two families.

After a long dispute, they finally agreed to settle the ownership of the mine through a duel.

"The eldest will participate, so one win is as good as secured. I'm worried about the other two."

Formal knights are divided into High-Class, Mid-Class, and Low-Class based on their skill level.

For this duel, both families agreed to send three Low-Class Knights each.

"Whoever we send will win, but I want to show a clear difference in skill this time."

Holland Marquis's face was filled with strong confidence.

Indeed, he was worthy of being the head of the Apple Kingdom's best knight family.

"It would have been perfect if the second son had participated, but it's a shame."

"I agree. It would have been a good opportunity to make his name known... but he's still not ready."

The second son, Ewin Ryanbloom, was still a Squire and wasn't selected for the duel.

Ewin, known as a genius, was struggling to break through the barrier to become a formal knight.

"By the way, what is Ewin doing? I haven't seen him around lately."

At the Marquis's question, Vincent showed a troubled expression.

"He... went to the Haksen Viscount's family."

"Haksen Viscount's family? Ah, it's because of their daughter, isn't it?"

Holland Marquis already knew that Ewin was showing a great interest in the eldest daughter of the Haksen Viscount's family.

"That boy... he's just like me, always chasing after women."

Despite his words, a smile appeared on Holland Marquis's face.

"Still, a man should have that kind of desire, shouldn't he? The eldest is lacking in that aspect."

Unlike Ewin, who was interested in women, the eldest son had no interest in that area.

"However, this little affair seems to be taking too long, which is worrying. He should just enjoy it and move on."

Just as Holland Marquis was clicking his tongue, a servant rushed over from a distance.

The servant whispered something into Vincent's ear.

Vincent's face turned pale upon hearing the whisper.

"Your Excellency, the second son has returned."

"Oh, really?"

Holland Marquis's face lit up instantly.

"Speak of the devil. I should go see Ewin... but why do you look like that?"

Holland Marquis asked, puzzled.

"It's... it's..."

Vincent hesitated before speaking.

"Spit it out, quickly."

"The second young master suffered a great insult at the Haksen Viscount's family."

At that moment, Holland Marquis's face twisted in a demonic way.

* * *

"Ewin!"

Holland Marquis burst into the treatment room.

At the sound, Ewin Ryanbloom, who was curled up on the bed, flinched.

"Father?"

Ewin poked his head out from under the blanket.

His exposed skin was covered in bruises, and a cut from a knife was still visible on his neck.

"Father... that... that... that man... tried to... kill me...! He... he put a... a... a knife... no, a fork... to my neck..."

More concerning was Ewin's mental state.

His incoherent and rambling speech indicated that he had suffered a significant psychological shock.

"Ewin! Calm down! Your father is here!"

Holland Marquis tightly gripped Ewin's hand. Despite this, Ewin's trembling didn't stop.

After comforting Ewin for a while, Holland Marquis finally left the treatment room.

"Your Excellency."

Outside, Vincent and the Squires who had been guarding Ewin were waiting.

Holland Marquis glared at the Squires with a murderous look in his eyes.

"What happened at the Haksen Viscount's family?"

The Squires swallowed hard and began to explain in detail.

As their story unfolded, Holland Marquis's frown deepened.

"...You mean he deflected an Aura-infused sword with a fork?"

Even a High-Class Knight like Holland Marquis couldn't block Aura with a regular weapon.

To deflect Aura with just a fork?

"Are you making up a story to avoid punishment?"

"No, no! It's true!"

"Please believe us!"

The Squires pleaded.

Holland Marquis scrutinized their faces carefully before speaking.

"Alright, you may leave."

The Squires bowed and quickly left.

"Your Excellency, what do you think?"

"It doesn't seem like they're lying."

A High-Class Knight can sense a person's breathing and pulse through their senses, which can help determine the truth of their words.

"However, the eldest son of the Haksen Viscount is known for being a troublemaker. How could he...?"

"Perhaps they drugged Ewin and the Squires with hallucinogens or poison at the Haksen Viscount's family."

Vincent sighed. He hadn't considered that.

Ewin and his Squires were treated to tea and food upon arriving at the Haksen Viscount's family.

If those contained hallucinogens or poison, even a genius like Ewin wouldn't have been able to wield a sword properly.

"Under the influence of hallucinogens and poison, Ewin's clumsy sword strikes were blocked by Damian Haksen, and the Squires must have misunderstood."

Holland Marquis gritted his teeth, clearly angry at the thought.

"If it weren't for the upcoming duel with the Goldfairy Duke family, I would have gone to deal with that man myself."

He couldn't leave his post so easily with the duel approaching.

"Send someone to the Haksen Viscount's family immediately and bring Damian Haksen here."

Holland Marquis was known for being fair, but when it came to his children, he became unreasonably protective.

Seeing his son in such a state, he couldn't just sit idly by.

"Bring him here tied up like a dog. Make sure everyone can see his humiliation."

"Who should we send as the knight?"

"Send Gerrick."

At the mention of Gerrick's name, Vincent's eyebrows raised slightly.

Gerrick was a Low-Class Knight known for his exceptional loyalty within the Marquis family. He had caused trouble several times because of his loyalty.

Once, he had crippled a group of mercenaries who had insulted the Marquis family.

Holland Marquis couldn't have been unaware of this.

Choosing Gerrick for such a sensitive matter was a clear indication of his intentions.

"Understood."

Vincent bowed his head and replied quietly.

* * *

The day after Damian Haksen exterminated the Black Snakes, someone from the Church arrived.

"Greetings, Viscount. I am Agnes, a Holy Knight of the Church."

Led by Agnes, the disciple of the Blue Flame, a group of Holy Knights and investigators had been dispatched.

"Welcome to the Church."

"Hello."

The Viscount and his wife greeted them with tense expressions.

It was a natural reaction to face Holy Knights who were known to commit massacres in the name of God.

"Damian told me you would be staying here for a while..."

"This is a decision to investigate heresy. We appreciate your cooperation."

The mention of heresy made the Viscount swallow hard again.

"The guest house is ready for your use."

"Thank you for your hospitality. This is a small token of our appreciation."

Agnes handed something to the Viscount.

A platinum ingot the size of an adult's fist. The Viscount's eyes widened in surprise.

"Such a thing... I can't..."

"It's in gratitude for allowing our investigation."

The tension in the Viscount's and his wife's eyes visibly eased.

Indeed, the power of money was great.

"Is Lord Damian well?"

Next, Agnes greeted Damian.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon."

"Uran is a heretic I'm personally pursuing. I'm here to assist with the investigation."

When Agnes mentioned Uran, a fleeting glint of killing intent flashed in her eyes.

It was a momentary change that Damian might not have noticed if he weren't so perceptive.

"Also, I have a personal interest in you."

At her words, the family all looked at Damian.

His mother covered her mouth with her hand.

"Oh, oh, oh."

Damian glanced at his mother, who seemed to have misunderstood something.

"I have no intention of becoming a Holy Knight."

"Still, you never know."

"It will never happen."

Damian spoke firmly. Agnes looked disappointed.

"That's a shame. Here, take this."

Agnes handed Damian two old books.

"The mana cultivation techniques you requested. I've specially selected them."

"Why are you giving me two?"

"One is a sword technique. I added it to complement the cultivation techniques."

Although he didn't need the sword technique, it wouldn't hurt to have it.

Damian examined the titles of the two books.

Baleful Force Liberation Sword

Baleful Force Accumulation Technique

These were sword techniques and cultivation methods he had never seen in his previous life.

During his time as a Death Knight, he had stormed the Church's headquarters.

However, the Church had burned all their holy relics and treasures to prevent them from falling into the hands of Dorgo.

As a result, even Damian didn't know what was inside the Church.

"It was difficult to bring them here."

If Agnes said it was difficult, it must have been a valuable item.

Damian put the books in his pocket and thanked her.

"Thank you. It really was difficult. There was a lot of opposition within the Church."

"You must have gone through a lot. Thank you."

"In the end, I had to use my master's authority."

Agnes repeated the same words, making Damian frown.

"No matter what, I have no intention of becoming a Holy Knight."

Agnes's shoulders drooped slightly.

* * *

"Here it is."

Damian led Agnes and the investigation team to the cave where Agito had been hiding.

As soon as they descended into the cave, the investigators were amazed.

"To think a curse-based black magic could cause such destruction."

"Indeed, this is the work of a high-ranking member of Uran."

The investigators began their work, with a few staying behind to question Damian.

"How did you deal with the black mage?"

Damian replied casually.

"I dodged and then cut his neck."

The investigators were taken aback. Some looked like they wanted to press further.

"Truly impressive."

But with Agnes showing no reaction, they couldn't push the matter.

"I'll be reading the cultivation techniques and sword technique. Please let me know when the investigation is complete."

With that, Damian left the cave.

'I've hidden all traces of my use of black magic, so it should be fine.'

Damian had returned to the cave the previous night to manipulate the scene.

If the Church discovered he knew black magic, it would be problematic.

'It will be hard for them to find anything suspicious.'

Given Damian's level, the investigators wouldn't notice any inconsistencies in the manipulated scene.

Putting his worries aside, Damian opened the books Agnes had given him.

The first page of the first book caught his eye.

The Galloway Viscount's family.

A name he had heard during his mercenary days in his previous life.

Fifty years ago, this family was exterminated by the Church.

Originally, the Galloway Viscount's family was a knightly family serving the empire.

They had a Swordmaster as their ancestor and produced another Swordmaster, making them a prestigious family.

However, they declined significantly in later generations, failing to produce even a High-Class Knight.

For some reason, they allied with black mages and were discovered by the Church.

'The difficulty in obtaining these books wasn't an exaggeration.'

Techniques created by Master-Class individuals are incredibly valuable.

They are more advanced than other techniques and, most importantly, contain methods to reach the Master-Class level.

'They should be quite useful.'

However, they didn't particularly impress Damian.

In his previous life, Damian was a formidable warrior who even looked down on Swordmasters.

Sword techniques and cultivation methods at this level wouldn't catch his eye.

Initially, Damian had requested cultivation techniques to use as a reference to create more advanced methods.

'There's nothing special about the sword technique.'

Baleful Force Liberation Sword was a powerful sword technique that compressed and released mana to unleash immense destructive power.

It wasn't particularly special, so Damian only glanced at it once before putting it aside.

However, the Baleful Force Accumulation Technique was a very interesting method.

'Baleful Force Liberation Sword consumes a lot of mana. To compensate for this, the Baleful Force Accumulation Technique focuses on increasing the speed of mana accumulation.'

Compared to other mana cultivation techniques, the Baleful Force Accumulation Technique accumulated mana much faster.

The secret was that it temporarily drew in external mana when used.

This allowed for a large amount of mana to be absorbed and accumulated at once.

'It says that at the Master level, one can directly use the surrounding mana... interesting.'

In other words, the Baleful Force Accumulation Technique was a method to control the mana in the environment.

It was a much higher-level technique compared to the Baleful Force Liberation Sword.

'How far can one control the surrounding mana? Can it control not just the environment but also an opponent's mana?'

Damian read the technique several times, breaking it down and extracting the useful parts.

In the quiet forest,

Something was taking shape in Damian's mind.