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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Mod7
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The castle in the Linchester territory.
Linchester was as I remembered it, except for the change in season.
It had been almost six months since I had last visited.
I could hear the occasional sound of the western dialect, and the bustling city streets were just as I remembered, a stark contrast to the nearby Demon Lands.
But the air was colder, and the gray winter sky cast a melancholic mood over the city.
The biggest difference was that Hessia was with me.
I remembered her reaction when she first saw the Linchester castle.
‘Wow, it’s so big! But our house is bigger.’
By “our house,” she meant the castle in Atlan.
I was worried she might say something, so I asked Dania to take her to her room.
I had warned her to be careful, but I didn’t want to risk her identity being revealed.
“Ethan, get some rest. Take a bath in the hot spring and relax.”
The hot springs were a famous tourist attraction in Linchester.
Hessia would probably like it.
“Thank you, Master!”
I stretched. I saw a few familiar faces.
“Dan-ah, no…”
What? Why was she hesitating?
“…Never mind. Get some rest.”
“Are you suggesting we bathe together, Master?”
I tilted my head. Master Sylvia tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and chuckled.
“Don’t tease your master. But since you’re so eager, I’ll let it slide. Just be prepared to be punished during training.”
Her words sent a shiver down my spine.
I was going to be an idiot by the end of winter, my head bruised and battered by the Rod of Discipline.
“Let’s go see my father in the evening. He was asking about you.”
Benek von Linchester.
The current head of the Linchester family, a silver-haired middle-aged man. I remembered him asking me to marry his daughter last summer.
“Master, I have a question.”
“What is it?”
“It might be a rude question, but… I’m just curious.”
Sylvia’s blue eyes were fixed on me.
Was it because she was my master? I always felt like I had to choose my words carefully around her.
She was the same age as me, but… it was a cultural thing.
“Who’s stronger? You or the Family Head?”
“Is that a rude question?”
She chuckled, unfazed.
“I’m letting him win. Does that answer your question?”
“It does.”
“So, by the time you’re strong enough to take me, there will be no one in Linchester stronger than you.”
She whispered in my ear.
I wish she would stop using the word “take.”
But if I showed any reaction, she would just tease me more. A rebellious thought sparked in my mind.
I wanted to see her flustered for once.
“You should be prepared, Master. I’ll defeat you, day and night.”
“Day and night…? Ah…”
She blushed, then quickly composed herself and cleared her throat.
“Dan-ah, you’re being impertinent.”
I shrugged. A lewd master deserved to be punished.
“We’ll see about that.”
“Do you have a high resistance to cold, Master? I just formed a contract with the Ice Spirit King…”
The Ice Spirit King combo. It would be a cheap shot, but…
“Fight like a knight.”
She had read my mind.
“If you use that trick, I’ll unleash all my sword forms and break through your barrier.”
She had taught me five sword forms during the summer break. But I had only mastered two of them.
The Sixth Form: Shattering Sword, and the Seventh Form: Flash Draw.
I still hadn’t mastered the Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Forms. I could use them, but they were weak and inefficient.
That’s why I had only used seven of the ten sword forms so far.
The Eighth, Ninth, and Tenth Forms were the ultimate demon-slaying techniques, created by the founder of the Linchester family.
And Master had modified them, making them even more efficient.
“Get some rest. We’ll see how much you’ve improved tomorrow.”
Master smiled and turned to leave. I bowed and headed to my room.
I was going to enjoy the hot springs. Nothing beats a hot spring in the winter.
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The Demon Lands, southwest of Linchester.
The Demon Lands were as large as a country, filled with all sorts of bizarre and grotesque monsters.
It was said that vampires used to live here.
But 300 years ago, something strange had started happening. The Demon Lands had been expanding.
The Linchester family was actively trying to stop the expansion, destroying the demonic plants and researching a large-scale barrier.
Dirks, a member of the Linchester guard, stood watch, his spear held tightly in his hand.
He had been a guard for less than a month.
Like all the children of Linchester, he had grown up hearing stories about the horrors of the Demon Lands.
‘The Demon Lands are filled with monsters, waiting to devour any intruders.’
His grandmother’s words echoed in his mind. Hans, his senior, chuckled.
“Dirks, did you know? There’s a massive fortress in the western part of the Demon Lands.”
Dirks had heard the rumors.
It was said to be an old vampire fortress.
“Yes, I’ve heard.”
“So, why did you join the Demon Lands guard?”
“I was assigned to the wrong post.”
That wasn’t the real reason.
In Linchester, it was said that you weren’t a real man if you hadn’t served in the Demon Lands guard.
Dirks had joined to impress his girlfriend. And he had regretted it within three days.
‘This place is insane…’
Even while standing guard, he heard reports of dozens of incidents every day.
‘Why did you join?’
He had been asked the same question several times.
He had been honest at first, but everyone had just shaken their heads.
‘You idiot. Don’t you value your life? Only a fool would volunteer for the Demon Lands guard.’
The most dangerous unit was the survey corps. They often encountered strange and dangerous creatures during their patrols.
Guarding the shrine was much safer. It was a small consolation.
“That’s a shame. You should have joined the regular army.”
Dirks continued to stare at the swaying trees of the Demon Lands. Something felt off today.
“I guess so.”
“But you should be proud. Adventurer guilds often recruit former members of the Demon Lands guard.”
Even adventurers, who had seen it all, respected the Demon Lands guard.
Even those who guarded the shrine.
“At least we’re guarding the shrine.”
The Linchester shrine.
It was also known as the sacred ground of Linchester. It had originally been located within the Linchester territory.
But as the Demon Lands expanded, it had been swallowed up. A barrier had been erected around the shrine to protect it from the monsters.
The shrine now served as both a sacred ground and an outpost, monitoring the movements of the monsters.
“They say the spirits of the Linchester ancestors protect the shrine.”
Pendants, which looked like talismans, hung from the shrine’s rafters.
They were probably some kind of magical tool that created the barrier. But to Dirks, who knew nothing about magic, they just looked like decorations.
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, so don’t be too scared.”
Hans was about to tell a joke, then stopped himself. They were on duty, after all.
The forest swayed ominously.
A pair of red eyes glowed in the darkness. It was getting closer.
“Senior, something’s coming.”
A rustling sound echoed through the trees.
As the creature stepped into the light, they saw it.
Its body was made of vines, covered in sharp thorns.
Its legs were like tree roots.
It opened its gaping maw, revealing sharp teeth, and drooled a corrosive liquid.
It was a giant, man-eating plant.
The Demon Lands were filled with strange and bizarre creatures. A walking plant wasn’t that surprising.
“Senior, it’s a walking plant.”
“I’ve seen weirder things. Be glad it doesn’t have wings. And it can’t cross the barrier. But stay alert.”
They looked at the magic circle on the ground. The plant approached.
And stepped right over the barrier, as if it wasn’t there.
“Huh?”
A vine shot out, wrapping around Hans. His eyes widened in fear.
But he remained calm.
“Dirks! The signal flare!”
Dirks fumbled with his crossbow and fired an arrow into the sky. But nothing happened.
It was supposed to explode, releasing a red light.
“Senior, it’s a dud.”
“Go, Dirks! Tell them! The shrine…”
Hans struggled to speak, his breath catching in his throat. The vine squeezed, and blood gushed from his body, splattering onto the ground.
“Aaargh!”
Dirks ran, not looking back. The creature extended another vine towards him.
It wrapped around his ankle. He was dragged across the ground. He pulled out his axe and hacked at the vine.
It wasn’t very effective.
“I told you not to kill him like that.”
He heard a woman’s voice. He could see her silhouette in the darkness, her green eyes glowing.
But he was too far away to hear her clearly.
He was in a daze.
“You’ll ruin the corpse.”
The creature seemed to understand. It growled and loosened its grip.
Dirks, seizing the opportunity, hacked at the vine with all his might, severing it.
He scrambled to his feet and ran, the severed vine still wrapped around his ankle.
The woman sighed.
“He can’t escape. But it’s more fun to give them a sliver of hope before crushing it.”
She whispered to the creature.
“If you’re hungry, you can eat him. He’s useless to me now.”
The creature picked up the mangled corpse and opened its mouth.
Dirks ran. He couldn’t defeat that monster.
He glanced back. He couldn’t hear anyone chasing him.
He gasped for breath, his lungs burning. Just as he was about to collapse, he bumped into something in the darkness.
It felt cold, metallic.
And it had glowing red eyes.
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