Chapter 58: Return of the Doom-Grade Death Knight

Chapter 58: Rest (1)

Three days later, Damian was able to arrive at the Haksen Viscount's estate.

"Damian! Abel!"

Upon hearing that Damian had arrived, the Haksen Viscount and his wife rushed out.

"I was worried when I heard rumors that a black mage appeared at the jousting tournament. Fortunately, you two are safe!"

The Haksen Viscount embraced Damian and Abel with both arms.

"Damian, did the jousting tournament end safely? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The Haksen Viscountess looked at Damian with a worried face.

"I'm fine, of course. Not only am I unharmed, but I also won the jousting tournament as a bonus."

Although the award ceremony was not held, Damian had requested that Lord Copperhead officially declare him the winner.

In any case, Damian was the actual winner by performance, and many nobles and spectators had witnessed it firsthand, so there were no significant issues.

"What, what? You, you won? Is that true?"

His father, surprised, asked again. Damian replied playfully.

"Really? You're so surprised. You didn't believe in my skills?"

"How could I not! Hahaha, well done. Really well done!"

His father patted Damian's shoulders and rejoiced.

"By the way, I don't see Louise."

"Louise said she would rest a bit longer and come later in a letter."

Damian's expression turned displeased.

Louise had left the estate to meet her fiancé.

Damian did not like Louise's fiancé at all.

Compared to Louise, he was lacking in both appearance and ability.

Damian wished Louise could meet someone better.

However, their relationship was too solid for him to do anything about it.

"Anyway, Abel, how did the proposal to the young lady go?"

At his father's question, Abel blushed and answered.

"I, I succeeded."

"Is that true?"

A smile spread across his father's face.

"Then we should visit the baron's family soon."

"I, I don't think that's necessary..."

"What are you talking about! Wedding preparations are so complicated and difficult!"

"That's true. When we got married, we almost didn't finish the preparations by the wedding day."

The couple laughed, recalling the past.

"Father, Mother, that's not what I meant..."

"Can we go out and greet them now?"

Suddenly, a voice came from inside the carriage. The Haksen Viscount and his wife's eyes widened.

"O, Olivia... J, just a moment..."

Before Abel could stop her, the carriage door opened. Olivia stepped down, straightening her back.

"Nice to meet you. I am Olivia Copperhead."

Olivia greeted them, slightly holding the ends of her skirt.

The couple's mouths dropped open at the sound of her name.

"A, Abel... W, what did I just hear...?"

"O, Olivia Copperhead? Why is the baron's daughter here...?"

Abel looked at Olivia.

He asked with his eyes if he should tell the truth. Olivia nodded.

"Father, it's like this..."

Abel explained in detail what had happened at the Copperhead baron's family from start to finish.

As the story progressed, the couple's mouths opened wider and wider.

"So, to summarize, a dispute arose between Damian and Sophia's lover?"

"Yes."

"Sophia's lover harbored resentment against Damian and tried to use black magic?"

"Yes."

"Olivia reported this, and Damian called the church in advance?"

"Yes."

"The church attacked the jousting tournament and occupied the baron's family?"

"Yes."

"Damian, in exchange for defending the baron, demanded your marriage to Olivia and half of the baron's wealth?"

"...Yes."

The Haksen Viscount rubbed his face with his palm.

"Damian!"

His father shouted loudly. Damian, who was yawning, was startled and looked at his father.

"Why are you shouting?"

"You, you! Didn't we have an agreement? You promised to behave!"

"Ah, right."

Damian's reaction, as if he had just remembered, made the Haksen Viscount feel a stiffness in his neck.

"Father, I feel wronged too. I really tried to behave. But how could I tolerate them starting trouble first? It was impossible to endure."

Damian sighed.

The Haksen Viscount clenched his fists. He was even more angry because everything Damian said was true.

"This incident has brought too much attention to our Haksen Viscount's family. Do you understand how dangerous that is?"

The church's disruption of the jousting tournament caused the Copperhead baron's family to lose their reputation.

During this process, the invited nobles suffered at the hands of the church, losing their popularity.

On top of that, they had to transfer half of their wealth to Olivia Copperhead.

From now on, the Copperhead baron's family would no longer be considered a great noble family.

In fact, a great noble family had fallen due to Damian's actions.

Now, the name of the Haksen Viscount's family would spread throughout the western region.

Being famous is not always a good thing. It also makes one more susceptible to gossip.

"Many people will attack the Haksen Viscount's family. Some will dislike our sudden fame, others will want to take our reputation, and for various reasons, enemies will abound."

Would people leave a protruding rock alone?

Because it's an eyesore, it seems dangerous, or it might cause a fall later.

They will try to break it for various reasons.

The Haksen Viscount was deeply worried about this.

"You don't need to worry. If anyone causes trouble, I'll make an example of them. Then everyone will get the hint and bow their heads."

Damian said nonchalantly. The viscount sighed deeply.

"Dear..."

The Haksen Viscountess placed her hand on the viscount's shoulder. The viscount held her hand, looking moved.

Indeed, only a wife can understand her husband's heart...

"Abel and Olivia are getting married, and Olivia will inherit half of the Copperhead baron's family... So our Haksen Viscount's family will grow significantly, right?"

The viscountess said with sparkling eyes.

"There were too many people who looked down on the Haksen Viscount's family, saying it was too small or not of the right status. Now we can finally show them!"

"Mrs... That's not the important thing right now..."

"With the Haksen Viscount's family growing, we need to think about what to do next. Isn't that the most important thing?"

The viscount snapped back to reality at his wife's words.

She was right. What's done is done. It can't be undone.

Although the Haksen Viscount's family receiving attention is concerning, they have gained much more.

"Miss Olivia, I'm sorry for keeping you standing for so long. Please come inside."

"Call me comfortably. Mother."

"Oh, oh, mother..."

The viscountess was overjoyed.

"Please treat me comfortably, Father."

"A, Father...!"

Hearing the unfamiliar term, the viscount's face melted.

"New daughter! Come inside quickly!"

"Do you have any favorite foods? Just tell me, and I'll prepare them for dinner tonight!"

The couple led Olivia into the mansion.

The brothers, who were suddenly forgotten, looked at each other.

"Let's go inside too."

"...Yes."

The two brothers also headed for the mansion.

* * *

Olivia Copperhead adapted to the Haksen Viscount's family faster than expected.

She not only won the favor of the viscount and his wife but also broke down the barriers with the servants by helping with the estate's labor shortages.

"The windmill's blades are old. It would be good to repair them this winter."

"I heard that the wife of the Silence family is pregnant. Should we send her some nutritious food?"

"During winter, nomads from the north come to sell sheep and goats. We can buy them cheaply and make a good profit later."

Before long, Olivia began to take charge of the Haksen Viscount's family's affairs.

She solved the problems of the estate's residents and offered suggestions that would benefit the estate.

"Thanks to Olivia, things are much easier."

At dinner, the Haksen Viscount said with satisfaction.

Olivia bowed her head slightly in gratitude.

"The servants say the same thing. They are grateful for Olivia's attention."

Olivia's abilities were so outstanding that the Haksen couple praised her repeatedly.

'She is indeed a capable woman.'

Damian also highly evaluated Olivia.

He had noticed her strong action and excellent ability since the jousting tournament.

'Abel has found a good partner.'

Although Damian was the eldest son, he had no intention of inheriting the Haksen Viscount's family. He planned to leave it to Abel.

He had no interest in estate management and had other things to do. He couldn't be tied down to the estate.

When Abel took over the management of the Haksen Viscount's family, Olivia would be a great help.

While Damian was thinking this,

"Damian, shouldn't you start looking for a good person to marry?"

At his father's words, Damian choked.

"Cough, cough, what are you saying all of a sudden?"

"Did I say something wrong? You are of the age to get married, aren't you?"

"Actually, I've been receiving many marriage proposals... Would you like to choose one?"

His mother also encouraged him subtly.

"I think it's too early for me to get married..."

"What are you talking about? There's no such thing as getting married too early, only too late."

"Besides, a man needs to settle down. That's how you gain stability."

As soon as Damian expressed his refusal, his parents bombarded him with words.

"You should also find a good person. Abel is getting married, and it looks bad for your older brother to be alone..."

"The eldest daughter of the Childern baron's family is so kind and capable. I'll set up a meeting for you..."

Damian listened to their words with one ear and let them go out the other.

* * *

After dinner, Damian headed to the forest.

He planned to train all day.

However, when he arrived at the forest, he couldn't concentrate on training.

His mind was too complicated.

"Marriage, huh."

Damian muttered, looking up at the sky.

He had never thought about it before. The idea of getting married and starting a family.

"I don't want to get married. No, before that."

Damian quickly reached a conclusion.

"I, a murderer, don't deserve it."

In his previous life, Damian, as a Death Knight, had massacred many people.

He turned someone's child, brother, husband, wife, and parents into corpses.

Of course, it wasn't by choice. It happened under Dorgo's control.

But the fact that he killed them didn't change.

"Thinking about marriage is a luxury for me."

Damian had too many things to do to worry about marriage.

"I need to tear Dorgo to pieces."

Damian's face twisted like a demon. His teeth ground together involuntarily with the rising anger.

"This time, I won't let him die easily."

By killing Dorgo, he would complete his revenge and atone for the sins of his past life.

Damian sharpened his goal again.

Now that he had set his goal, it was time to work hard. Damian got up to start training.

He opened a subspace and took out the Bulseongjigwang potion.

The Bulseongjigwang potion was a technique that allowed him to accumulate mana while moving. It also had the function of enhancing muscle strength.

The only drawback was that the amount of mana it could absorb was small. Damian planned to overcome this with the Power Accumulation Technique.

"Combining the two mana cultivation techniques will create a pretty decent one."

To reach the Master level, Damian needed to complete a special mana cultivation technique.

A mana cultivation technique was the core of a knight.

Without a proper mana cultivation technique, one couldn't advance to a higher level.

"Right, I almost forgot."

Damian also took out the Heart of the Spirit from the subspace.

To absorb the Heart of the Spirit, he needed to continuously inject mana to dissolve it.

Damian planned to carry the Heart of the Spirit with him and inject mana into it from today.

"Let's move my body a bit after a long time."

Damian drew his Thousand Mile Sword and swung it while using the Bulseongjigwang potion.

Damian quickly became engrossed in training.

* * *

Damian's training ended only in the evening.

Just as he was about to put the Thousand Mile Sword back into the subspace and head home,

"Master! Master!"

Victor came running from a distance, out of breath. Damian asked with a puzzled look.

"What's the matter?"

"A, a guest from the church has arrived!"

At Victor's words, Damian looked puzzled.

"From the church?"

"Yes, yes! The paladin who helped us in Landwalk City has come personally!"

Agnes, the disciple of Blue Flame.

At the news that she had come, Damian put the Thousand Mile Sword back into the subspace.

Damian returned to the mansion with Victor.

At the front of the mansion, Agnes was standing. However, the atmosphere was different from usual.

"Mr. Damian, I'm sorry for the sudden visit."

Agnes spoke. Her voice was very gloomy and dark.

"I've come to ask for your help with a difficult request."

"Help?"

"The location of the Corpse Play dungeon has been identified."

At her words, Damian's eyes widened.

"Please lend your strength to defeat the evil."

* * *