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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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“Trollsblade? Ah…”
Eleanor tilted her head as if she was hearing the word “Trollsblade” for the first time. Then, her expression suddenly brightened.
“Alright. I don’t know why you need a sword with only a hilt, but I’ll give it to you if you can free me from Earl Dressten’s clutches. Even if you fail, I’ll still have Anya.”
Was her obsession with Anya stronger than her desire to keep her last refuge in this world? Eleanor seemed to be hoping for my failure.
“That won’t happen.”
“We’ll see about that.”
Eleanor, who had just moments ago been desperately searching for a way to escape Earl Dressten’s grasp, smiled smugly.
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I learned the reason for her confidence after returning to my room after dinner.
“When the King banished her from the capital, he allowed her to take one item from the treasury. She said she chose the Trollsblade without even knowing what it was.”
Anya stretched and explained. She seemed to know everything about the Lord.
“Does she think her ability activated?”
“Probably.”
I had been wondering why she would keep such a useless sword, its only value being its symbolic significance as the weapon of a legendary hero, but it made sense if she believed Eleanor’s ability had been triggered.
This made me suspect that her ability was affecting me as well.
‘Don’t jump to conclusions.’
It was an ability that could only be recognized in retrospect. That’s why I couldn’t be at ease, even though I hadn’t experienced any adverse effects when I came into contact with Eleanor.
I stopped thinking about it. It was a question I couldn’t answer without more information. I would have to observe her closely for a while longer to determine whether her ability affected me.
‘If it truly doesn’t, I’ll need to drastically alter my plans, so I have to be cautious.’
For now, it was time to deal with those who had tried to use Anya as a sacrifice. The crescent moon was hidden behind clouds, shrouding the world in darkness. It was the perfect time for a clandestine operation.
“Are you leaving already?”
Anya looked disappointed as she saw me pick up my coat.
“Didn’t I promise? To punish those who tried to use you as a pawn.”
“It’s not something that needs to be done right away.”
Anya embraced me from behind, pressing her body close, her hands slipping inside my clothes.
“Did you miss me, Brother?”
Her sweet breath tickled my ear. My body stirred involuntarily.
“I missed you so much. I thought about you every night. I relived our moments together at the manor to ease my loneliness. I even prepared a wonderful gift for you, while waiting for our reunion…”
Anya’s hands roamed my body, her touch soft yet insistent. A jolt, like a surge of electricity, shot through me as she gently bit my shoulder.
“But you seem to have been fine? Well, I suppose with so many women available around, you didn’t even think about me.”
I turned around and embraced Anya. She struggled, trying to escape my grasp.
“Anya, I’m merely taking care of things in advance, so we can be together for a long time. You remember, don’t you? That I’m not satisfied with just one night.”
It was a remark that brought back memories of our time together at the manor. Anya’s face flushed, and she averted her gaze shyly.
“I have high expectations as well. To see if you can satisfy me now that we’ve reunited.”
“I-I’ve practiced a lot!”
“Practiced? How?”
“With my hands…?”
Anya fidgeted, her face growing redder. I intertwined my fingers with hers and lifted her hand.
“That wouldn’t have been enough.”
Anya’s fingers were long and slender. Even several of them combined couldn’t replace mine.
“I-I have other preparations as well!”
“The wonderful gift you mentioned earlier?”
“Y-Yes. Just wait and see! Even you won’t be able to resist it!”
Several events from the game came to mind. I didn’t dwell on it. After all, unexpected gifts were always more exciting.
“I look forward to it.”
“I’ll be waiting too.”
Anya whispered as she helped me into my coat. I kissed her in response and turned to leave, then stopped.
“Ah, I never learned the name of the fool who proposed to you.”
“That guy? What was his name again? Borha? Ah, Bordel. Why?”
“Didn’t you say he was rude to you?”
I looked at Anya incredulously. She had casually mentioned killing him.
“I won’t kill him.”
“Then why did you ask?”
Anya looked at me, disbelieving.
“I just won’t kill him.”
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Ding. Ding. Ding.
The church bells tolled, signaling nine o’clock. Simultaneously, fires and commotion erupted throughout Quaran, spreading rapidly.
Andrei, tasked with the families and smaller fries on the outskirts of Quaran, had begun his operation.
“We move as well.”
I was tasked with the Montoya family, a long-established knightly family whose power rivaled Andrei’s Santo family.
It was Dubeck, the head of the Montoya family, who had suggested sacrificing Anya for peace. That fool Bordel was also staying with the Montoya family.
“Not a single one will escape.”
As Dreng, following my orders, surrounded the Montoya mansion in the heart of Quaran, I looked at Jin.
“Jin? Don’t you need to go?”
Jin’s role was to eliminate the smaller fry connected to the families we were targeting.
“There’s something you should know, Master Allen.”
“Something I should know? What is it?”
“A suspicious individual was lurking around Lady Anya a few days ago.”
“A suspicious individual? Couldn’t you identify them?”
Jin would have done everything in her power to identify any suspicious individual. The fact that she called them “suspicious” meant she couldn’t.
“They vanished like magic when I followed them.”
“Even when you personally pursued them?”
“Yes. I didn’t take my eyes off them, but when I caught them, it was a different person.”
A gentle spring breeze brushed against my face. Yes, it must have been around this time. The time the Star Witch contacted the Lord.
The Star Witch was the leader of the witches, whose identity remained hidden until the very end of the game’s storyline, and the mastermind behind the Seven Witches’ Coven.
She had likely come to invite the Lord and Anya to join the Coven.
“Did this individual meet with Anya or the Lord?”
“I couldn’t capture them, but I didn’t allow them to approach either.”
“Good. Remain vigilant.”
If the Star Witch hadn’t formed the Seven Witches’ Coven, the witches wouldn’t have been able to plunge the world into chaos.
That didn’t mean the Star Witch was a villain. Her role was limited to that of a facilitator.
As long as the witches didn’t turn evil, the Star Witch wouldn’t intervene.
Anya was already happy in my care, and if the Lord’s ability truly didn’t affect witches, she would follow the same path. There were no problems.
“Do you know this individual?”
“It’s likely a Genie.”
Dreng reported that the encirclement was complete. I left Jin and scaled the wall of the massive, castle-like mansion.
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“Another Genie…”
Jin murmured, not immediately following Allen. She was reminded of an ancient prophecy her grandmother had told her.
“That’s impossible. How could a mere knight’s son be the subject of the prophecy?”
Dismissing the thought, Jin turned and disappeared into the darkness.
A large training ground was located within the walls. The men of the Montoya family were waiting for us there, arrayed in formation.
“There’s life in the old dog yet.”
As befitting a family whose power rivaled Andrei’s Santo family, they seemed to have sensed something amiss from the commotion in Quaran.
“Who are you?!”
One of them stepped forward. It was a middle-aged man with a thick, unruly beard. Dreng whispered that he was Dubeck, the head of the Montoya family.
“By order of the Lord, surrender yourself, Dubeck.”
I pointed to the banner depicting a crowned lion. The lion, its mouth wide open, looked as if it would leap out at any moment.
Dubeck flinched slightly as he recognized the crest, then yelled again,
“How dare you! Who gave you such authority?! Why would the Lord attack our family?!”
“Are you seriously asking? A vassal of the Lord groveling before the Earl and acting in his interests? You’ve disgraced the Lord’s honor and reputation!”
Nobles valued their honor and reputation above all else, even their own lives. It wasn’t uncommon for them to bankrupt themselves trying to maintain a lifestyle befitting their status.
“I was merely offering advice for the good of Quaran!”
“Is begging the Earl to have his way considered advice? Ha, would you have acted the same if the Earl had demanded your family?”
Dubeck gritted his teeth, speechless. I scoffed.
“Why don’t you be honest? You were simply afraid. Afraid that you and your family would be in danger if a real war broke out. Isn’t that right, you cowardly traitor?”
One of the Montoya men approached Dubeck and whispered something in his ear. Dubeck looked at me and smirked.
“How dare a mere Scoundrel lecture me? The Lord has truly lost her mind! To rely on a Scoundrel? That’s why I chose the Earl!”
It seemed someone among the Montoya men recognized me. Well, it hadn’t even been a year since I shed my Scoundrel persona.
“Then prove it.”
I needed to practice the strength control techniques Andrei had taught me. There’s life in the old dog yet, as they say. The head of a long-established knightly family would make a good sparring partner.
Dubeck’s smirk widened as I drew my sword and pointed it at him.
“A Scoundrel who knows no fear!”
Dubeck charged, raising his sword high for an overhead strike.
I could see the expectant faces of the Montoya men behind him. They didn’t seem to doubt his victory.
I raised my sword, using minimal force. Dubeck couldn’t even handle that. Clang! Sparks flew as his sword was deflected, flying in a wide arc.
Despite his lack of strength, he was experienced. He immediately pulled his sword back, preparing to block my counterattack. However, having conserved my strength, I was faster.
My sword, swung diagonally, grazed Dubeck’s chainmail. The links snapped under the force, unable to withstand the impact. If it weren’t for the chainmail, Dubeck would have been killed in a single blow.
“As expected, Lord Andrei must be an exception.”
I couldn’t help but feel disappointed. Andrei’s rival was the weakest knight I had encountered so far. Well, it was to be expected for a knight from a small city.
“H-How dare you! A mere Scoundrel mocks me?!”
Dubeck’s face turned crimson, and he charged again, raising his sword for another overhead strike, completely disregarding his defense.
He seemed to have learned nothing from our previous exchange. I didn’t have time to waste on an opponent who couldn’t even serve as a proper sparring partner.
My full strength translated into speed. Despite my slower draw, my sword pierced Dubeck’s throat before his could reach me.
“Gurgling sound…”
Dubeck looked down at the sword embedded in his throat, his eyes wide with disbelief as his blood flowed down the blade. He collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut as soon as I withdrew my sword.
“Lord…!”
“He defeated the Lord so easily…!?”
As the Montoya men, stunned by the unexpected turn of events, looked at each other in confusion, I stared down at Dubeck’s fading eyes.
“It seems you were the frog in the well.”
I flicked the blood off my sword and looked up.
The Montoya men flinched and stumbled back as our eyes met. They realized they had no chance of winning after seeing Dubeck, one of their strongest, killed without even putting up a fight.
“I won’t say it again. Surrender if you value your lives, however insignificant they may be.”
As the emboldened mercenaries glared at them, swords drawn, the Montoya men began to drop their weapons and surrender, one by one.
It was an easy victory.
The mercenaries quickly bound the Montoya men, and the rest of their family was brought out as well, including the fool who had proposed to Anya.
“Let me go! Do you know who I am?! Do you think you can get away with this?!”
The mercenaries, following my prior instructions, ignored his protests and dragged him before me.
“Are you the commander? Execute these insolent men immediately! How dare they treat me, a relative of Earl Dressten, with such disrespect!”
As the mercenaries left, he yelled at them, gesturing angrily. He truly didn’t know his place, just as he hadn’t with Anya. He was also utterly clueless.
“There seems to have been a misunderstanding. Allow me to apologize on their behalf.”
Fortunately for him, it wasn’t his turn yet. I had to be mindful of Earl Dressten until he learned of the Baron’s scheme.
I smiled and brushed the dust off his clothes, making no effort to control my strength.
“Ugh! Stop! Why are you hitting me?!”
“I’m just brushing off the dust.”
His screams soon filled the training ground. The Montoya men, who had surrendered earlier, breathed sighs of relief.
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He said he would’nt kill him so is it torture time 😈
Thanks for the chappie!
ur welcome mate!
Gurgling sound lol