Chapter 30: The Return of the Doom-Grade Death Knight

Chapter 30: Revelation (3)

Gao Heinrich acted swiftly. He immediately took his soldiers and arrested the servants of Chelsea Goldpicks. He thoroughly searched her bedroom, the businesses she managed, and the shops she frequented. As a result, he was able to round up many people who knew about Chelsea Goldpicks' relationship with the dark mages. The duke summoned the torturers to interrogate them.

“Yes, it’s true! Lady Chelsea conspired with the dark mages!”

“How did you meet them? I, I don’t know! One day, Lady Chelsea suddenly brought them in!”

“The dark mages helped Lady Chelsea with everything! They did everything that His Excellency ordered!”

The truth revealed through their confessions was shocking. First, all the abilities and achievements Chelsea Goldpicks had displayed so far were fake, made possible only with the help of the dark mages. Chelsea Goldpicks had expanded her influence within the family with the help of the dark mages.

“There’s more! Lady Chelsea used the dark mages to gain the loyalty of the vassals!”

“I don’t know what kind of dark magic it was! I only heard that if you inhaled the incense, you would be drawn to Lady Chelsea!”

It turned out that Chelsea Goldpicks had used dark magic to win over the vassals. Due to the dark magic, many vassals were on her side. Fortunately, none of the influential vassals were affected. The duke sent soldiers to arrest all the vassals and knights who were under Chelsea Goldpicks' spell. In a sense, they were victims, but they couldn’t be left alone because they were under the influence of dark magic.

One day, while the interrogations were ongoing, news came that Chelsea Goldpicks had committed suicide.

* * *

On the day Chelsea Goldpicks died, Damian Hassen was still training intensely. He had received the mana crystal, but his current physical condition made it difficult to absorb it. When he finished training and returned, he saw the duke pacing in front of his bedroom.

“Your Excellency?”

Damian asked, puzzled. Only then did the duke notice him.

“Oh, you’re here. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Why didn’t you have a servant call me?”

“I couldn’t interfere with your training.”

The duke smiled.

“What’s the matter?”

“Oh, nothing much.”

The duke raised his arm, holding a wine bottle in his hand.

“Do you like alcohol?”

* * *

The duke led Damian to a room in a corner.

“This is a room I made for my hobbies.”

The room was filled with various types of alcohol. There were wines, vodkas, whiskeys, and more. It was hard to find anything missing.

“Sit down for a moment. I’ll bring some snacks.”

The duke went to the cupboard and took out a block of cheese. He skillfully sliced it and placed it in a bowl.

“The Angelic Cheese from the Blanque region pairs well with this wine.”

The duke poured wine into the glass in front of Damian. The red liquid flowed steadily.

“Try it.”

Damian took the glass to his mouth. The rich aroma filled his mouth.

“It’s good alcohol.”

“Hahaha, I’m glad you like it. It’s not very expensive, but it’s my favorite.”

The duke also took a sip. The glass was empty after just a few sips.

“It’s good. Very good.”

Then, the duke put a piece of the cheese he had sliced into his mouth.

“I’ve decided to seek help from the Church.”

The duke suddenly said.

Damian was puzzled. Calling the Church would mean interference, which would be unpleasant for someone as proud as the duke.

“Isn’t it too hasty to make such a decision?”

Damian asked, putting a piece of cheese in his mouth. He couldn’t understand why the always confident duke would so readily call the Church.

“In fact, I let all the dark mages escape.”

The duke clicked his tongue.

“I caught all of Chelsea Goldpicks' close associates, but not a single dark mage among them.”

“Really?”

“Yes, I don’t believe it either, but it’s true. We couldn’t even find out their names.”

The duke frowned. It seemed he was ashamed of letting the dark mages escape.

“I’m not afraid of the dark mages. My knights are strong. But I don’t know what tricks they might pull.”

The most terrifying thing about dark mages isn’t their power, but the sinister schemes they can orchestrate with dark magic. If they cast a curse of plague in the dark, the duke’s subjects would suffer greatly.

“To deal with dark mages, the Church is the best option. So, I’ve decided to hand it over to them.”

“Did Chelsea Goldpicks not reveal the identities of the dark mages?”

“There was no chance. She died on the first day.”

Damian stopped chewing and looked at the duke. Chelsea Goldpicks had been captured for over five days, and the news of her death only came today. But the first day?

“She bit her tongue and killed herself on the first day she was arrested by the soldiers.”

“So you’ve been hiding this until now?”

Damian asked, and the duke nodded.

“If the news of Chelsea Goldpicks' suicide spread, all the related people would run away. So, I kept it a secret.”

Damian inwardly clicked his tongue. No matter what, it was his own child who had died. He didn’t expect the duke to be so cold.

“Chelsea Goldpicks is dead, the dark mages have escaped, and we don’t know who they are… It’s a matter of face.”

The duke leaned back in his chair and sighed. Damian looked at him for a while and said,

“You look very tired.”

“Do I? That’s embarrassing.”

The duke smiled quietly, but he couldn’t hide the fatigue in his eyes.

“Chelsea Goldpicks’ mother was a commoner.”

The duke suddenly said.

“In my youth, I went hunting with some knights and ended up staying in a rural village. That’s where I met her mother.”

It’s common for nobles to find commoners for a one-night stand. The outcome was predictable.

“She soon became pregnant with Chelsea. But in my youth, I found it unpleasant that a commoner was carrying my blood. So, I drove her away when she came to me.”

The duke’s face was extremely expressionless as he spoke about the past. There was no regret, no remorse, no emotion at all.

“Time passed, and one day, I became curious about the child I had abandoned. I had someone investigate, and found that her mother had died of the plague, and the child was living alone.”

The duke brought Chelsea Goldpicks, who was living alone, back. No one knew why, not even the duke himself.

“Chelsea wasn’t a very bright child. Even considering her long life as a commoner, she wasn’t very intelligent. She had leadership skills, but lacked ability.”

A leader who lacks ability is a dangerous existence. So, the duke didn’t heavily rely on Chelsea Goldpicks.

“I wanted her to live and die as a noble lady. But one day, she started to stand out.”

The duke enjoyed testing his children, just as he enjoyed testing his vassals. Chelsea Goldpicks excelled in all the tests the duke set for her.

“At first, I found it strange. No matter how I thought about it, the tests were impossible for her to pass. I was suspicious, but couldn’t find any evidence.”

So, the duke granted Chelsea Goldpicks the title of duchess, recognizing her as his successor.

“It was strange, but I never thought she was getting help from dark mages…”

The duke sighed deeply.

“If only she had lived a life befitting her station.”

The duke silently drank his wine. Damian stayed by his side for a long time.

* * *

The duke drank three bottles of wine and fell asleep. Damian called the servants to move the duke and returned to his bedroom.

‘They didn’t catch a single one.’

Back in his bedroom, Damian sat in a chair, lost in thought. He had hidden the identities of the dark mages from the duke, but Damian Hassen knew who they were.

Euran.

That was the identity of the dark mages who had conspired with Chelsea Goldpicks.

‘They are as thorough as the rumors say. They left no trace of themselves.’

The duke thought Chelsea Goldpicks had committed suicide, but Damian had a different opinion. She was killed by a curse. Euran wouldn’t have let Chelsea Goldpicks live. They must have prepared the curse in advance, just in case.

‘So, Chelsea Goldpicks was just a pawn for Euran, after all.’

The duke said Chelsea Goldpicks had conspired with the dark mages, but Damian thought differently. Dangerous dark mages like Euran wouldn’t have conspired with Chelsea Goldpicks. There must have been another plan.

‘They probably wanted to take over the duchy.’

By making Chelsea Goldpicks the next duke and then controlling the duchy. Whatever the plan, it failed completely due to Damian Hassen.

‘They probably didn’t run far.’

A typical dark mage would have fled to a distant place once their identity was exposed. But Damian was sure Euran was still near the duchy.

‘They must be waiting for a chance to kill me.’

Damian Hassen had killed Euran’s officer, Agito, and handed his head to the Church. He also ruined Euran’s plans in the duchy. Euran would definitely want to kill Damian. This was not a guess but a certainty.

‘There are no more thorough people than dark mages.’

Damian had spent a long time with Arclich Dorgo and knew dark mages well. They were thorough in their debts and grudges. There was no great reason for this. Dark mages have enemies everywhere. To survive, they must stick together. The best way to strengthen their sense of belonging is to be thorough in their debts and grudges. They repay every favor and seek revenge for every grudge. This is the basic mindset of dark mages.

‘I’m sorry to keep it a secret from the duke, but it’s necessary to draw them out.’

Damian had hidden Euran’s existence to draw them out. The more the duchy didn’t know, the more vulnerable they were, and the more bait Euran would have. There was another important reason.

‘Disgusting bastards. I’ll kill them all with my own hands.’

Damian hated dark mages. Just hearing the name Euran made his killing intent surge. He couldn’t feel satisfied without killing them himself.

‘Come whenever you want.’

Walking down the dark corridor, Damian’s eyes glowed.

* * *

“Damn! Damn! Damn!”

In the dark corridor of the outer castle, a man was cursing while holding a bottle of alcohol.

His name was Ernst Hovitz, a mid-level knight of the duchy. In the recent interrogations that swept the duchy, Ernst Hovitz only received a simple interrogation because he didn’t know that Chelsea Goldpicks had conspired with dark mages. However, Ernst Hovitz couldn’t be happy about this.

“What a stupid bastard! What a son of a bitch! He should have died there! He should have protected her!”

In the afternoon, Ernst Hovitz heard that Chelsea Goldpicks had died. At that moment, something inside him collapsed.

“Aaah! Uuuaah!”

Ernst Hovitz punched his chest repeatedly, but the guilt didn’t go away.

“Lady Chelsea…”

Ernst Hovitz sat on the ground and looked up at the night sky. He suddenly remembered the first day he met her.

A brave and confident girl. That was his first impression. Her bright appearance left a deep impression, and he often watched her. Over time, Ernst Hovitz developed an excessive affection for Chelsea Goldpicks. He fell in love with her.

“Aaah… Uuuaah…”

While Ernst Hovitz was groaning in pain, a voice came from the darkness.

“Sir Ernst Hovitz, you’re here.”

Ernst Hovitz looked up.

“Rebecca?”

The woman in front of him was Rebecca, one of Chelsea Goldpicks' close associates.

“Yes, you…!”

Ernst Hovitz’s eyes sharpened. He dispelled the alcohol with his mana.

Rebecca disappeared as soon as Chelsea Goldpicks was arrested, which meant she was one of the dark mages who had conspired with Chelsea Goldpicks.

“You… You caused Lady Chelsea to… You, a dark mage who conspired with that devil!”

Ernst Hovitz tried to grab her neck. Just before that, Rebecca said,

“Sir Ernst, we want to take revenge on the duke.”

Ernst Hovitz’s hand stopped.

“What… What do you mean?”

“You must have heard. Lady Chelsea has passed away. The duchy hasn’t revealed the specific cause, but it’s obvious.”

Rebecca took a deep breath and continued.

“She died during the interrogation.”

Ernst Hovitz’s mouth opened and then closed. The duke he knew was capable of such a thing. He was willing to sacrifice his own flesh and blood for the family’s safety.

“But we can’t take revenge on Lady Chelsea alone. We need your help, Sir Ernst.”

Ernst Hovitz thought for a moment and said,

“…What can I do?”

A smile appeared on Rebecca’s face.

* * *

After Rebecca’s explanation, Ernst Hovitz disappeared somewhere. Rebecca was left alone, looking in the direction he had gone.

“Seems like you convinced him well.”

A man walked out of the alley.

The man Chelsea Goldpicks called Mustang Fury.

When dealing with Chelsea Goldpicks, he stuttered and seemed timid. But now, Mustang Fury had a cold, icy gaze.

“I didn’t expect Chelsea Goldpicks’ name to be so effective.”

“Love makes a man strong, doesn’t it?”

Rebecca covered her mouth with her hand and laughed.

“What an idiot. He’s so passionate without even knowing who really killed Chelsea Goldpicks.”

Chelsea Goldpicks didn’t die during the interrogation. She killed herself due to the curse set by Euran.

“Still, Boss, I’m not comfortable. Do we really have to kill Damian Hassen?”

“Do you want to just sit and watch? That bastard not only killed Agito but also interfered with our cause.”

Mustang Fury frowned.

“Causing chaos in the Apple Kingdom after taking over the duchy was the cause given to us by ‘Him.’ We were interfered with. How can we just sit and watch?”

Mustang Fury gritted his teeth.

“Damian Hassen and the duchy don’t know our true identity. We can use this to create an opportunity to kill him.”

Mustang Fury’s eyes glowed darkly.

“I must see Damian Hassen beg for his life.”