Chapter 27: Impostor (2)

Among the Masters Damian fought in the past, there was a person called the Sword Musician.

Compared to other Masters, he was not particularly skilled.

If ranked, he would be in the lower tier among the Masters.

Even so, the Sword Musician left a deep impression on Damian.

'A Master who shone in large-scale battles.'

The sound produced by a sword vibrating is called a sword cry.

The Sword Musician had a unique technique of infusing and spreading aura through this sword cry.

Every time the sword cry echoed, people's bodies would explode, and objects would be destroyed.

'That technique allowed me to hold back the Undead army for a week.'

The tens of thousands of Undead troops Dorgo advanced were stopped by the Sword Musician's sword cry, unable to break through.

This was an achievement no other Master could accomplish.

In the end, Dorgo had no choice but to send Damian. After an hour of battling the Sword Musician, Damian emerged victorious.

"Isn't that a unique sword?"

Brodie, who had approached without notice, spoke.

"It was a knight who was once employed by the Duke's family who commissioned this item. He left before the sword was completed due to an urgent matter, so it never reached its owner's hands."

"Did that knight perhaps provide Resonant Iron and request it to be made?"

"Eh? How did you know that?"

Metals with special properties are called rare metals.

Adamant, which amplifies magic power, and Iceback Iron, which emits cold on its own, are examples.

Weapons called divine arms in this world are all made of rare metals.

'So it was indeed the Sword Musician's unique weapon.'

Resonant Iron, as a rare metal, has the property of causing vibrations when infused with magic power.

This special property hinders the formation of aura, which is why knights did not use Resonant Iron to make weapons.

Except for the Sword Musician.

'But when I fought him, the weapon he used wasn't this one, was it?'

The weapon the Sword Musician used back then was made by dwarves.

It contained a much higher amount of Resonant Iron and was mixed with other rare metals, unlike the sword in front of him.

'He must have failed to find it and made another weapon instead.'

The Sword Musician could use his technique even with an ordinary sword.

However, when using a weapon made of Resonant Iron, the power of his technique doubled.

'Did the Sword Musician pass through the Duke's family?'

Damian knew little about the Sword Musician.

The only thing he knew was that he lived his life as a wandering knight.

"I will take this sword."

Damian picked up the sword without hesitation.

Brodie was taken aback and tried to stop Damian.

"You know what Resonant Iron is, yet you choose this sword?"

"Yes, I will choose this sword."

Damian could use the Sword Musician's techniques and realm. That's why he knew.

The Sword Musician was weak among the Masters, but his techniques were different.

Not only was it easy to deal with multiple enemies, but it could also handle both offense and defense simultaneously.

Because of its versatility, he wanted to study it.

"Does this sword have a name?"

"The knight who commissioned it called it the Thousand Mile Sword."

Damian remembered the name and took the Thousand Mile Sword.

* * *

In addition to the Thousand Mile Sword, Damian Haksen also picked up a few daggers and throwing knives that were easy to conceal.

After selecting his weapons, as he was about to leave the workshop, a woman blocked his path.

She was not alone; she was accompanied by two men who looked like warriors.

"Did you find a weapon to your liking?"

The woman said with a bright smile. Damian Haksen tilted his head and looked at her.

She had dark shadows under her eyes, giving her a somewhat gloomy appearance.

"Who are you?"

"It's nice to meet you. I am Rebecca, serving the Granddaughter Chelsea Goldpicks."

The woman placed her hand on her chest and bowed slightly.

"Granddaughter Chelsea Goldpicks has requested a meeting with Sir Damian Haksen. Would you be willing to spare some time?"

Damian had planned to meet Chelsea Goldpicks to investigate her connection to black magic.

He didn't expect the opportunity to come so soon.

"I don't think I have anything to talk about with you."

However, Damian did not immediately accept the offer. He rejected it once to gauge her intentions.

"Who knows?"

Rebecca continued with a smile.

"Granddaughter Chelsea has much to offer. Through a deep conversation, you might find something you need, Sir Damian Haksen."

Though she spoke indirectly, she was ultimately trying to persuade him.

To boldly attempt to persuade a knight aligned with the Duke was surprising.

Driven by strong curiosity, Damian said,

"Fine. Lead the way."

* * *

The place Rebecca led Damian Haksen to was a quiet restaurant.

It wasn't a large restaurant, only one story tall.

"This restaurant is operated by Miss Chelsea herself. It operates on a reservation system and is only available to nobles."

Rebecca explained as they walked through the restaurant's corridor.

"Today, the entire restaurant has been cleared to arrange a meeting with Sir Damian Haksen."

Rebecca stopped walking.

In the large hall, there was only one table. A familiar woman was sitting there.

Chelsea Goldpicks.

She raised her wine glass and said,

"You're a bit late? Come, sit down."

Rebecca did not enter further. Damian walked into the hall alone.

The moment he entered, Damian could feel it.

The black magic that filled the large hall.

'Here I am, investigating Chelsea Goldpicks, and I've already found evidence.'

Without needing to investigate, he had already found the evidence.

As he walked to the table, Damian analyzed the black magic.

'Black magic seeps into the body with each breath, affecting through respiration.'

Thanks to his memories and experiences from his time as a Death Knight, Damian was very knowledgeable about black magic.

'It's a charm scent.'

A black magic that induces false affection and uses it to manipulate people.

'At this concentration, one would become a slave within an hour.'

With each breath, black magic entered the body. The concentration was very high.

'Using a high-difficulty black magic like charm scent and concealing it separately. There must be an extremely skilled black mage.'

The reason such powerful black magic could be used in the center of the city without being detected was due to the concealment black magic covering the entire restaurant.

It seemed the black mage behind Chelsea Goldpicks was not an ordinary person.

Most knights would have succumbed to this charm scent.

But Damian was an exception. He had the seven powers Dorgo had engraved in his previous life.

Therefore, most magic and black magic did not affect him.

'The Power of Greed should be able to break it down without issue.'

Damian used the Power of Greed to break down the black magic he inhaled through his breath.

The black magic power obtained from breaking down the black magic was stored somewhere in his body.

"Why did you call me?"

Damian asked as he sat across from Chelsea. Chelsea put down her wine glass and said,

"You're quite impatient. How about we talk while we eat once the food arrives?"

To Damian, who had already detected the black magic, her words seemed more like a cheap trick than a consideration.

"I don't want to waste time unnecessarily. Just tell me now."

Chelsea's eyebrows twitched slightly at Damian's refusal.

"If that's the case, I have no choice. My request is simple. Resign from your position as representative."

Damian felt no particular emotion at Chelsea's request. He had already anticipated what she would ask.

"You don't trust Guillaume Blackwing, do you?"

"Don't misunderstand. When Guillaume Blackwing wields an axe, you're nothing to him."

Chelsea Goldpicks said bluntly, her voice filled with strong confidence.

"However, I'm making this request to conserve my strength for the duel with the Viscount. It would be troublesome if I were injured in a pointless duel, wouldn't it?"

It was a reasonable judgment.

Unless one side was overwhelmingly stronger, blood would inevitably be shed during a duel.

"Why should I listen to your request? What's in it for me?"

"If you resign from your position, I will fulfill all your desires."

Damian burst into a hollow laugh at her response.

"Do you know what I desire before making such a claim?"

"What a country knight like you wants is obvious. Money, fame, things like that, right?"

Chelsea raised one corner of her mouth in disdain.

Through this conversation, Damian could roughly gauge what kind of person Chelsea Goldpicks was.

'A ridiculously arrogant woman.'

She judged others arbitrarily and drew conclusions carelessly.

It was a behavior that only an arrogant person could exhibit.

'She's a carbon copy of her father in a way.'

The Duke had a nasty habit of testing people.

It was a behavior that only someone who believed they were superior enough to judge others could exhibit.

However, the Duke did not openly display his arrogance like Chelsea Goldpicks.

'Arrogant and incompetent.'

That was Damian's conclusion about Chelsea Goldpicks.

"Money and fame? The Duke seems better equipped to provide those."

"It might seem that way now. But think about it. The dukedom will soon be mine. Wouldn't it be more beneficial to be in good standing with the future Duke?"

"You're wasting your breath. The Duke is in good health."

"Who knows what the future holds. A more capable person might replace him."

It was a very dangerous statement.

Damian narrowed his eyes and stared at Chelsea Goldpicks.

Suddenly, Damian noticed a small hourglass on the table in front of Chelsea.

'Is this to calculate the time it takes for the charm scent to take effect?'

There was little sand left. Chelsea glanced at the hourglass and then said to Damian,

"If you understand, go tell your father that you will resign from your position."

Chelsea spoke in a commanding tone.

There was a strong confidence that Damian Haksen would naturally comply with her words.

To which Damian immediately responded,

"What if I refuse?"

Chelsea Goldpicks' expression crumbled.

* * *

"What, what? This can't be."

Chelsea exclaimed in shock. Damian leaned back in his chair and asked,

"What can't be?"

"No, no, that's not it... Why are you refusing? I said I would fulfill all your desires!"

"I don't need your help."

"Could it be that you've sworn allegiance to your father? You're making a mistake. Do you know how cruel he is? That man... to me and my mother..."

Damian raised his hand to cut Chelsea Goldpicks off.

"I have no interest in your family affairs. Stop talking."

Damian just wanted to use the Duke's family to keep the Viscount's family in check.

He had no interest in what kind of person the Duke was.

"Just listen once! You'll understand once you hear. How unreliable your father is..."

"I don't want what you can offer."

"What? What do you desire then?"

"Family happiness."

Chelsea Goldpicks was taken aback by Damian's answer.

"Wh-what?"

"Family happiness, peace, tranquility—these are things you cannot provide."

To protect his family, he needed to keep the Viscount's family in check.

And for that, Damian Haksen needed to participate in the duel and defeat Michael Ryanbloom.

Even if that weren't the case, Damian had no intention of complying with Chelsea Goldpicks' request.

She had allied with a despicable black mage.

"I'm leaving. Tell Guillaume Blackwing to prepare well for the duel."

Damian stood up from his chair and turned to leave the hall.

"...Your family must be very precious to you?"

Chelsea Goldpicks' words made Damian pause.

"Then let me put it another way. Resign from your position. If not, I'll send people to crush the Haksen barony..."

Chelsea Goldpicks couldn't finish her sentence.

Suddenly, Damian's hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat.

"How dare you... choke!"

Damian tightened his grip. The pressure on her neck felt like being strangled by a steel bar.

"Choke! Gasp! Gasp!"

Chelsea Goldpicks struggled to breathe and was in agony.

Damian looked at her coldly.

As if observing a dying person.

Then,

"Granddaughter Chelsea!"

"How dare you lay a hand on the Granddaughter!"

The two knights guarding the entrance noticed the commotion and rushed at Damian.

Despite the knights charging at him, Damian's gaze remained fixed on Chelsea Goldpicks.

"Can't you let go of your hand!"

The two knights gripped their sword hilts and tried to draw their swords to strike Damian.

Damian released Chelsea's neck and simultaneously picked up a piece of cutlery from the table.

He swung the cutlery at the knights. The dull knife used for cutting meat grazed the necks of the two knights.

Blood spurted from the knights' necks, and they clutched their throats, staggering.

"I cut it shallowly, so you won't die if you apply a potion immediately."

After saying that, Damian turned back to Chelsea Goldpicks.

Chelsea Goldpicks was sitting on the floor, breathing heavily.

"Chelsea Goldpicks."

Chelsea Goldpicks looked up at Damian in shock. She began to tremble under his cold gaze.

"The reason I didn't kill you here is not because I fear the Duke's retaliation."

Just a moment ago, Damian had been in a state of internal conflict.

He wanted to cut Chelsea Goldpicks' throat right there.

But he thought it would be too merciful a punishment.

"Look forward to it. To what terrible thing will happen to you tomorrow."

Leaving those words, Damian walked out of the restaurant.