Chapter 24: Regression of the Doom-Grade Death Knight

Chapter 24: Proof (2)

"You must be very tired, so rest well today. We can talk about the details tomorrow."

The duke said this and had a servant guide Damian to the VIP room.

True to the reputation of a wealthy family, the treatment Damian received was extremely luxurious.

When he took a bath, three or four servants attended to him.

The food served for dinner was all prepared by top-notch chefs.

More than five servants were on standby 24/7, waiting for Damian's commands.

'This is the first time in my life I've experienced such luxury.'

It was an extraordinary level of luxury, the kind he might never experience again.

'But compared to this, it's nothing.'

Damian sat on the bed and took out the Balance Ring.

Inside the wooden box, five rings were neatly packaged.

Looking at it again, he noticed that the lid was inscribed with golden letters.

Balance Ring

Manufactured by Azoth Arkelus in 197, a leader of the Alchemy School and one of the few Grand Alchemists.

"Could it be that Azoth Arkelus?"

Damian checked the inscription several times, surprised.

Azoth Arkelus.

One of the few alchemists known as Grand Alchemists, the leader of the Alchemy School.

"If this is a potion made by the real Azoth, it must be incredibly expensive."

Of course, compared to the legendary potions made by Azoth, the Balance Ring was somewhat lacking.

However, it was still an extraordinary potion, despite its shortcomings compared to those.

'A potion that can enhance physical abilities just by taking it.'

Damian had only heard about it; this was the first time he had seen it.

'It's also said to be very effective in healing internal injuries.'

However, Damian had no intention of using the Balance Ring to heal his internal injuries.

The internal injuries he had were minor enough to heal on his own.

Damian intended to use this potion for its original purpose.

'I need to train while taking it, not just consume it.'

Potions are not fully absorbed; about half of their effects are lost when consumed.

But Damian was confident he could fully absorb the energy of the potion.

'This is a treasure I desperately need.'

Damian had a clear understanding of his current state.

He was still lacking in both physical strength and magic power.

The lack of magic power was somewhat addressed by the Power Accumulation Technique.

But his body was still too weak, having only been a month since his regression.

'In my current state... I can't defeat a High-Class.'

Damian thought of Gaol Heinrich.

While he might somehow be able to defeat Ernst Hovitz, Gaol Heinrich was a different story.

Of course, in terms of skills and experience, Damian was hundreds of times better than Gaol Heinrich.

The problem was his physical strength and magic power. They were too weak to defeat Gaol Heinrich.

There was a limit to compensating for his lack of strength with skills.

'Since it's come up, should I start training right away?'

Just as Damian was about to take out one of the Balance Rings,

"Lord Damian Haksen, did you cough?"

A servant's voice came from the other side of the door, which was being knocked on.

"What is it?"

"The Duke requests to see you."

Although he was curious about the effects of the Balance Ring, Damian couldn't refuse the Duke's request.

He closed the box and went outside.

Following the servant, he headed to the Duke's office.

* * *

"Ah, you're here."

As he entered the office, the Duke greeted Damian Haksen with a smile.

"Don't stand there, come and sit down."

The Duke personally guided Damian to a table and even poured him a cup of tea.

"Did you rest well last night? How are your internal injuries? Is there anything bothering you?"

The Duke's kindness was almost overwhelming.

It seemed that the Duke was very impressed with Damian's skills from the previous day.

"I'm sorry to call you so early in the morning. There are a few things I need to discuss regarding the duel."

The Duke continued, pouring tea into his own cup.

"In a month, we have a duel with the Lionbloom Marquess at Leafy Hill."

Damian recalled.

Leafy Hill was a piece of land on the border between the Duke's and the Marquess's territories.

It was flat and had solid ground, making it an ideal place for a duel.

"I'm not doubting your skills, but I'd like to hear how you plan to prepare for the duel in the remaining time."

"Well, I don't have any special plans. I intend to continue training as I have been."

Damian planned to use this opportunity to significantly enhance his physical abilities with the Balance Ring.

"Being familiar with something is good, but since you're here, wouldn't it be good to receive some special training?"

"Special training?"

"If you wish, I can arrange for Sir Gaol Heinrich to guide you."

Any other knight would have cheered at this offer.

Gaol Heinrich was one of only three High-Class knights in the Apple Kingdom.

Receiving guidance from him was an opportunity worth more than a thousand gold pieces.

"Ah, no, that's fine. I prefer to train alone."

But Damian firmly declined.

'What's a High-Class to me.'

Even a Master Class wouldn't interest him much, let alone a High-Class.

The Duke laughed at Damian's firm refusal.

"Hahaha, to refuse so firmly. Sir Gaol would be hurt if he heard that."

"If you're worried, I can receive guidance from Sir Gaol."

"No, it's fine. I found out that you've grown to this level without a teacher. It seems that self-study suits you, so I won't interfere further."

Damian paused, holding his teacup, and looked at the Duke.

He had only been here for less than a day, yet the Duke seemed to have thoroughly investigated him.

'Or maybe he had information on me beforehand.'

Damian had recently become famous, so it wasn't surprising that the Duke's family was paying attention to him.

"I've kept you too long. Go and take care of your business."

Damian briefly thanked the Duke and left the office.

***

"To refuse guidance from a High-Class."

As soon as Damian left, the Duke's lips curled into a smile.

"Sir Gaol, what a shame."

From behind the large curtain in the office, someone stepped out.

The old knight, Gaol Heinrich, replied with a neutral expression.

"I'm not disappointed at all."

"Really? You can be honest with me."

"I really mean it."

The Duke laughed.

Despite his words, Gaol's eyes were filled with dissatisfaction.

"Sir Gaol, what do you think of him?"

At the Duke's question, Gaol Heinrich pondered for a moment.

"He's an extraordinary young man. Despite his young age, he has honed his skills to the extreme. His ability to control magic is flawless."

It was a glowing praise.

Despite being refused guidance, Gaol Heinrich evaluated Damian Haksen without bias.

The Duke appreciated this quality in Gaol Heinrich.

Unlike Ernst Hovitz, he clearly distinguished between public and private matters.

"It must be disappointing not to take him as a disciple..."

"I already said I'm not disappointed."

Gaol Heinrich answered immediately. The Duke laughed again, holding his belly.

"Then, who do you think will win against Michael Lionbloom?"

Gaol Heinrich fell into deep thought, longer than before.

"It's hard to say."

He finally spoke, his expression heavy.

"Didn't Damian Haksen break through the Duke's defenses and block a Middle-Class attack?"

"Michael Lionbloom can do that too."

The Duke nodded involuntarily.

Michael Lionbloom was that much of a monster.

"When I first saw Michael Lionbloom, he reminded me of a boiling volcano. It was calm now, but when it erupted, it would engulf the entire world."

To reach the High-Class level, Gaol Heinrich himself was considered a genius.

Michael Lionbloom was such an outstanding genius that even someone like Gaol Heinrich had to acknowledge him.

"What about Damian Haksen?"

At the Duke's question, Gaol Heinrich fell into thought again, even longer this time.

"...It's too clear, which is strange."

"What do you mean?"

"His status as a Low-Class, and even the strongest among them, is too obvious. It gives me a sense of unease."

If Gaol Heinrich were ten years younger, he might not have noticed anything strange.

But his experience was warning him that there was something about Damian Haksen.

"That's why it's hard to say."

Gaol Heinrich bowed his head, as if feeling ashamed.

But the Duke didn't blame him.

"You can't predict the outcome... That's very interesting."

The Duke muttered, his eyes gleaming.

"Chaos is often a treasure trove of opportunities."

Although things were calm now, the Duke was known for his bold investments in areas others wouldn't touch, reaping huge profits.

"Damian Haksen, a man worth investing in."

* * *

'So, Gaol Heinrich was here.'

Behind the door of the office, Damian Haksen thought to himself.

He had noticed Gaol Heinrich's presence as soon as he entered.

Curious about why he was hidden, Damian pretended to leave and hid behind the door.

'He's been gauging me through Gaol Heinrich.'

Pretending to be a Low-Class had its merits.

He hadn't completely hidden it, but he had managed to deceive Gaol Heinrich's discerning eye.

'To keep testing me... He's a tiresome man.'

Although they were in a cooperative relationship for now, Damian didn't want to be close to this type of person.

'I need to test the Balance Ring now.'

Leaving the office, Damian headed to the training ground.

* * *

In the outdoor training ground, about ten knights were already training.

"Hey, look, it's Damian Haksen."

"The one the Duke chose as the representative?"

As soon as Damian appeared, the knights' attention turned to him.

In contrast, Damian didn't even glance at them, busy checking the facilities.

'Typical of a Duke's family. They have a lot of good equipment.'

There were various strength-training machines, training golems, and magical bracelets that could adjust weight.

'I've used some of these before as a mercenary.'

While Damian was inspecting the training equipment, a group of knights approached him. One of them stepped forward and spoke.

"Are you Damian Haksen?"

Damian stopped inspecting the magical bracelet and looked at the knight.

He was very short, with a stocky build that made him look like a boy at first glance.

"My name is Pavel Vermund."

Despite his small stature, he seemed skilled, as he was speaking on behalf of the knights.

"You were chosen as the representative, right? To take such a position after attacking the Duke's family... I wonder where your conscience has gone."

Damian scanned Pavel Vermund and the other knights.

"I don't recognize any of you. Who are you?"

"You asked a good question. We are the knights selected to participate in the duel."

Damian counted the knights. There were five of them.

They seemed to include the candidates.

"Yesterday, we were all training outdoors, so we missed the action. It was lucky for you. If we had been there, you wouldn't have been so reckless."

Damian looked at Pavel Vermund with a somewhat incredulous expression.

He couldn't understand how they could belittle him after hearing about yesterday's events.

'Now that I think about it, I've seen people like this before in my past life.'

When Damian worked as a mercenary.

At that time, the mercenary group he belonged to had achieved great success in a territorial war.

The noble who hired them favored the mercenary group greatly.

The noble's eldest son, feeling jealous, had picked a fight with Damian Haksen.

Of course, Damian Haksen had repaid him on the battlefield.

'These young masters, with some talent and the power of their families, have never experienced failure. They can't face reality.'

Always experiencing success had made them arrogant.

"Why are you silent? If you don't believe it, I'll prove it right here."

Pavel Vermund placed his hand on a training sword.

"I'm tired of this. Get lost."

Damian no longer felt it was worth dealing with them. He continued inspecting the remaining equipment.

Pavel Vermund and the other knights looked at Damian with stunned expressions.

"...I was curious about what kind of person you were, given your skills. Now I see, you're just a coward."

"Pavel, there's no need to deal with someone like him. Let's go."

Pavel Vermund and the knights left.

Finally, Damian could inspect the training equipment without interruption.

"Who's going first!"

"I'll challenge you today!"

"Great! Come on, attack!"

Behind him, Pavel Vermund and the knights' shouts of encouragement could be heard.

The sound of swords clashing suggested they were sparring.

But the sounds seemed off.

A skilled knight's sword strikes have a distinct quality.

The sounds coming from behind were all lacking in power.

'How can the knights participating in the duel be so weak?'

Before coming to the Duke's family, Damian had fought Gerrick, a knight of the Lionbloom Marquess.

'Gerrick was strong, but he didn't participate in the duel, which means the Marquess has even more skilled knights.'

The Duke's knights were far inferior to Gerrick.

'With knights like this, we can't win the duel.'

The duel was a best-of-three, and the first to win two bouts would win.

Even if Damian Haksen defeated Michael Lionbloom, losing the other two bouts would mean losing the duel.

'This is why the Lionbloom Marquess was able to defeat the Duke's family in the future.'

The level of the knights reflects the strength of the family.

The difference between the Marquess and the Duke's family was evident even among the Low-Class knights.

'What can I do...?'

Damian fell into thought. The conclusion was clear.

'There's no choice. I have to step in a bit.'

Damian shouted to the knights.

"Hey, you five."

Pavel Vermund and the other knights looked at Damian, puzzled.

"I've changed my mind. Let's have a match here."

Pavel Vermund chuckled.

"I don't know what's gotten into you... but fine. I'll show you my skills."

Pavel Vermund approached, swinging a training sword.

Damian held out his palm.

"Wait a moment."

"What? Did you change your mind again? It's too late to run!"

"What nonsense."

No matter how much it was for his own goals, he couldn't just serve them for free.

Damian planned to train them and use it as his own training.

'Strength training is good, but the best is sparring.'

Sparring uses the whole body and focuses on the necessary muscles.

That's why Damian preferred sparring whenever possible.

"Stay there and wait."

Damian started putting on the magical bracelet he had seen earlier, which could adjust weight.

As he activated the magical bracelet, his whole body felt heavy, as if carrying a wet sponge.

He put on a heavy armor that added resistance to his muscles. He tried bending his arm, but it felt like iron bars were embedded in his muscles.

Finally, he picked up a practice magic sword. He swung it in the air, and it felt heavy and slow, like cutting through water.

He swallowed the Balance Ring last.

"Done. Come at me now."

Damian wiggled his fingers.

"..."

Pavel Vermund looked at Damian in silence.

Having lived in the Duke's family for a long time, he knew that Damian was wearing absurdly heavy restraints.

To propose a sparring match in such a state? It was a level of disrespect that only someone who looked down on others could achieve.

"This guy... How much does he look down on me!"

Pavel Vermund, enraged, charged at Damian and swung his sword at his head.

Damian easily blocked Pavel Vermund's sword. The sword slipped from his grip and flew far away.

"..."

Damian struck Pavel Vermund's neck. Pavel Vermund let out a short scream and fainted.

"Hmm... This is quite a workout."

Damian stretched his neck.

Just a little movement had already made him short of breath and his muscles ached.

"What are you waiting for? Come on, attack."

Damian said to the remaining knights.

"If you don't come, I'll come to you."