Chapter 6: Training (2)

Before the regression, Damian Hassen caused many incidents.

Among them, the worst was when he slapped Erwin Ryanbloom in front of everyone.

This incident escalated to a point where the entire Hassen family had to take responsibility.

To quell this matter, Louise Hassen, Damian’s sister, had to marry an engineer as if she were being sold.

“D-Damian...”

Damian’s father, Paul Hassen, approached him, grabbing his shoulder and asked,

“Is it true? Did you really hit this person’s face?”

Damian Hassen only nodded.

Paul Hassen’s eyes flared with anger.

If it weren’t for the engineer, he would have struck Damian Hassen.

“Why did you do such a thing? Why!”

“Sir, don’t be too harsh. After all, I was also at fault.”

Erwin Ryanbloom interjected.

He wasn’t unaware; it was a deliberate act.

“I never expected that the woman I was dating would be on Damian Hassen’s mind. And I talked about it carelessly in front of him...”

With that, Erwin Ryanbloom smiled.

“Quite a fierce punch. My molars are still shaking, you know?”

Damian Hassen glared at Erwin Ryanbloom.

The Ryanbloom Dukedom was a famous knightly family.

Those who inherited the bloodline of the dukedom all possessed outstanding talents.

The second son of the dukedom, Erwin Ryanbloom, was no exception.

Though not as great as the eldest son, he was still rumored to be a remarkable talent.

He was far too skilled to be hit by someone like Damian Hassen.

In other words, Erwin Ryanbloom had deliberately let himself be hit.

To tie down the Hassen family.

“But to swing a fist at me in the social club... This incident greatly angered your father. He said that the Hassen family was mocking the Ryanblooms.”

Paul Hassen’s face turned pale.

Erwin Ryanbloom was one of the best knights in the Apple Kingdom.

The Hassen family could not withstand the wrath of such a man.

“Sir, how do you plan to compensate for the insult to our family?”

“I, I...”

Paul Hassen couldn’t come up with an answer.

A minor family like the Hassen family could not offer a satisfactory compensation to the Ryanbloom Dukedom.

They would have to sell all their assets and still fall short.

“It seems you have no solution.”

Erwin Ryanbloom smiled mockingly, as if he had expected this.

“Then, Sir, how about this?”

“What do you mean?”

“In fact, I have long admired Louise.”

Erwin Ryanbloom turned his gaze to Louise.

With a sticky look, Louise slightly turned her head away.

“I told Louise my feelings many times, but she always rejected me.”

“What does that have to do with this incident?”

“I will marry Louise.”

The room fell silent at his words.

Erwin Ryanbloom continued without hesitation.

“This way, we can reduce this incident to a family matter. The insult I received can be naturally overlooked, and others will stop gossiping.”

“That’s impossible.”

Paul Hassen immediately rejected Erwin Ryanbloom’s proposal without hesitation.

“Louise already has a fiancé. So...”

“Then how do you plan to take responsibility for the insult I suffered?”

Erwin Ryanbloom’s smile faded, and he looked at Paul Hassen with a cold gaze.

“This incident cannot be resolved with just a few apologies. The Hassen family must take responsibility.”

“You...”

“Choose. Will you pay the price for insulting me, or will you choose me?”

At Erwin Ryanbloom’s declaration, Paul Hassen bowed his head.

He was at a loss, hesitating.

“...Alright.”

Suddenly, a voice came from behind.

Louise Hassen was looking at Erwin Ryanbloom.

“I’ll accept your proposal.”

Erwin Ryanbloom’s face lit up with a broad smile.

In contrast, her father, mother, and brother’s faces twisted in distress.

“Louise! What are you saying!”

“Wait a moment! Mom and Dad will think of another way!”

“That’s right! Why should you take responsibility for what your brother did!”

The family began to persuade Louise Hassen.

But Louise Hassen did not waver.

The Hassen family had no other way to avoid the Ryanbloom Dukedom’s wrath.

“Miss Louise, you are indeed wise.”

Erwin Ryanbloom looked at Louise Hassen with a deep, greasy gaze.

“I will send someone formally soon. We can discuss the specifics then.”

Erwin Ryanbloom turned to leave.

Someone blocked his path.

“Huh? Lord Damian, do you have something to say?”

Erwin Ryanbloom asked with a smirk.

“Not really. Should I call you brother-in-law now?”

* * *

Damian Hassen ignored Erwin Ryanbloom’s taunt.

Instead, he looked at his family, who wore dark expressions.

‘How could such an incident happen just a few days after I promised to make her happy...’

He realized once again how deep his karma was.

His past self was truly a despicable person.

‘What can I do about this?’

He couldn’t just let his sister marry the engineer.

The engineer was a trustworthy lord to his subordinates but a tyrant at home.

He often used violence under the guise of education against his sister and children.

He even had a jealous streak, frequently suspecting and hitting his wife.

‘That’s why there was never a day when the bruises on her body disappeared.’

Despite enduring such harsh treatment, Louise Hassen never blamed Damian Hassen.

Not even when he attacked the Ryanbloom Castle and killed him.

‘I have no way to stop Erwin Ryanbloom’s tyranny now.’

Damian Hassen was just the eldest son of a minor baron.

He had no power to stop the second son of the Ryanbloom Dukedom.

‘How frustrating. Should I just kill them all and be done with it?’

Damian Hassen sized up Erwin Ryanbloom and his guards.

‘Erwin Ryanbloom and three guards. All four are squire knights.’

To become a knight, one must go through the stages of squire, apprentice knight, squire knight, and full knight.

Even an apprentice knight was a formidable opponent among commoners, possessing excellent skills and the ability to enhance physical abilities with mana.

A squire knight, one step above an apprentice knight, was several times stronger.

To become a squire knight, one must be able to manifest aura.

Aura was an intangible blade created by condensing mana.

It could slice through rock like water and tear through steel shields like paper.

Even the most ferocious monsters were like cattle in a slaughterhouse before aura.

The strongest weapon that only knights could wield was aura.

‘If I fight, I’ll have to face all four at once.’

Squire knights were almost like monsters.

With the physical strength to kill beasts bare-handed and the ability to cut through anything with aura.

Squire knights were monsters with bodies that transcended human limits and the strongest weapons.

If Damian had to fight, he would have to face four such monsters.

‘Among them, Erwin Ryanbloom is especially strong.’

Erwin Ryanbloom was not just a squire knight; he was at the peak of squire knights.

He was just a step away from becoming a full knight.

Logically, it was an unwinnable fight.

‘It would take five minutes, though.’

Of course, that was logically speaking.

Damian Hassen had reached a god-like level in swordsmanship.

Even a hundred squire knights couldn’t defeat Damian Hassen.

‘But if I kill them, the Ryanbloom Dukedom won’t just sit still.’

Killing them wasn’t the problem.

The problem was what would happen afterward.

Damian Hassen couldn’t put his family in danger.

‘I have no choice. It’s annoying, but I’ll have to take a detour.’

* * *

“You coward!”

Damian Hassen suddenly shouted.

“To drag the family into a personal matter? Is that what a second son of a dukedom does!”

Damian Hassen fumed, waving his arms.

Erwin Ryanbloom smirked at his reaction.

“Why didn’t you resolve it earlier? Since you can’t, Louise has to take responsibility.”

“Shut up!”

Damian Hassen raged.

The angrier he got, the wider Erwin Ryanbloom’s smile grew.

Erwin Ryanbloom was already a winner, having achieved all his goals.

The loser’s anger was merely entertaining.

“Let’s have a duel!”

“A duel?”

“Yes! If I win, we’ll just forget about this!”

“Hmm.”

Erwin Ryanbloom showed a reluctant expression.

“What if I win?”

“Wh-what?”

“What will you give me if I win?”

“That, that... What do you want! I’ll obviously win!”

“Tsk.”

Erwin Ryanbloom clicked his tongue.

“To have a duel with me, you need to set equal conditions.”

Erwin Ryanbloom said this and tried to walk past Damian Hassen.

That’s when it happened.

“Where are you running to!”

Damian Hassen swung his fist.

Erwin Ryanbloom dodged by turning his head.

“What, you dodged?”

Damian Hassen tried to swing his fist again. The guards stepped in.

“Stand down.”

Erwin Ryanbloom ordered the guards.

He wouldn’t want to rely on them to stop someone like Damian Hassen.

“You need to taste a lesson to come to your senses.”

Erwin Ryanbloom, skilled in both swordsmanship and combat, easily overpowered Damian Hassen’s clumsy punches.

“But since we’re family now, I’ll go easy on you.”

Damian Hassen swung his fist again.

Erwin Ryanbloom caught it and tried to twist his arm.

Suddenly, a blow hit his face, and his head snapped back.

“Gah!”

Erwin Ryanbloom fell backward, holding his face.

He looked at Damian Hassen in disbelief.

“...Did you just hit my face?”

How did he hit me? The question was quickly replaced by pure anger.

There was a huge gap between him and Damian Hassen.

Last time, he had let himself be hit.

This time, he hadn’t intended to, yet he allowed a facial hit.

Erwin Ryanbloom’s pride was severely shaken.

“Yes! I hit you! What are you going to do!”

Damian Hassen lunged again.

Erwin Ryanbloom jumped up.

“I was going to stop at subduing you, but I can’t now.”

Erwin Ryanbloom got into a fighting stance.

As Damian’s fist flew, he caught it with both hands.

This time, he was ready to break bones.

But Damian Hassen kneed him in the stomach first.

“Cough!”

The sudden blow to his lower abdomen left Erwin Ryanbloom breathless.

Seizing the moment, Damian Hassen punched him in the face again.

“Gah!”

Erwin Ryanbloom stumbled back, holding his face.

But it didn’t end there.

“You bastard! How dare you touch our sister!”

Damian Hassen rushed forward and punched Erwin Ryanbloom in the side.

His bones ached.

“Take that! Take that! What are you going to do now!”

Damian Hassen’s punches didn’t stop.

He pummeled Erwin Ryanbloom’s body repeatedly.

Erwin Ryanbloom tried to counter, but it was useless.

Damian Hassen’s punches hit unexpected spots.

Face, side, stomach, chest. He was hit all over.

Erwin Ryanbloom had no choice but to give up on counterattacking.

He curled up to take less damage.

“Th-this.”

“Isn’t this...”

The guards were too shocked to even think of stopping them.

“You, you scum!”

Then, Erwin Ryanbloom, who had been getting hit, lashed out with a punch.

Damian Hassen easily dodged it.

He then swept Erwin Ryanbloom’s legs.

Erwin Ryanbloom’s body flew into the air and landed on the ground.

His head hit the edge as he fell.

Erwin Ryanbloom’s eyes rolled back.

“Second son! Are you alright?”

“Is he okay?”

The guards panicked and shook Erwin Ryanbloom.

But he didn’t regain consciousness.

“Phew.”

Damian Hassen wiped the sweat from his forehead, feeling refreshed.

“Now I feel much better.”

* * *

Damian Hassen felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

He had thoroughly beaten up Erwin Ryanbloom. Despite the intense movement, his breathing was not heavy.

These two facts made Damian Hassen very pleased.

‘The training has paid off.’

Just as Damian Hassen was feeling proud, Erwin Ryanbloom, who had been unconscious, regained consciousness.

Grinding his teeth, Erwin Ryanbloom got up.

“Damian Hassen!”

Erwin Ryanbloom shouted, emitting a thick aura of killing intent.

“You scum! How dare you lay a hand on me!”

Erwin Ryanbloom took a glove from his pocket and threw it at Damian Hassen’s face.

“I challenge you to a duel!”

“Finally, you accept.”

Damian Hassen caught the glove.

“If I win, don’t hold me responsible for what I did.”

“Fine! But you must accept my condition too!”

“What is it?”

“If one of us dies in the duel, don’t hold the other responsible!”

At this, Damian Hassen twisted his lips and said,

“You’ll regret it.”