Chapter 6
“……!!”
The mont their eyes t in mid-air.
Julian realized sothing was wrong.
The one before him was undoubtedly the family's trash.
‘Why…….’
Why did he have the sa look in his eyes as his older brothers?
Demian and Paian. The mont he recalled the two young masters known as geniuses, the inferiority complex he had suppressed exploded.
The taut string of reason had finally snapped at Killian's provocation.
“You…….”
Julian, barely managing to get up as if crawling, ran to the display case and picked up a new sword.
Cheonghwageom .
A famous sword forged with the breath of a blue bird, a gift from his mother to commorate the forging of his Mana Heart.
Its characteristic was that its mana conductivity was so exceptional that the sword, upon receiving mana, would erupt in flas.
Fwoosh.
The temperature inside the reception room rose from the flas erupting from the sword.
“Well, I’ll be…….”
Killian let out his second chuckle since entering the reception room. It was because the sword Julian had drawn was far too fine for a novice to possess.
‘With a sword of that caliber, he can only produce a red fla.’
It was when Killian was wiping the sweat that began to trickle down his forehead due to the scorching heat.
“You rootless bastard!!”
Vwoom!!
Fwoosh.
Flas erupted along the trajectory he had dodged.
“Young Master Julian!!”
“Young Master Killian!!”
Rhodos and Haman, pressed tightly against the door, called out their masters' nas, but.
Whooosh!! Whoosh!!
Fwoosh. Fwoosh.
Julian, having lost his reason, swung his sword indiscriminately, and the fire gradually spread to the surrounding furniture and fixtures.
‘Has he been consud by the sword?’
As proof, Julian's body had beco sluggish after just a few swings.
It was because the sword had absorbed more mana than necessary for ignition.
“Disappointing, Julian Eurasia.”
“A bastard who ca back from the dead……!!”
Annoyance and an unknown anxiety.
Gripped by complex emotions, Julian let out a roar.
The mana carried in his voice resounded thunderously throughout the room.
“Lower your voice. Shouting, unable to overco your emotions, is what amateurs do.”
“……!!”
I stared at Julian's face as he flinched in surprise.
The unfortunate pasts that Killian Eurasia had experienced beca vivid.
Here, today.
‘I will right one of my wrongs.’
As Killian aid the wooden sword at Julian, blue mana gathered at its tip.
It was less than a tenth of the mana Julian was emitting.
Fwooooosh.
The flas of the Cheonghwageom aid at Killian grew even more violent.
“You son of a b*tch. Today, I’ll cut off one of your limbs…….”
Before he could finish his sentence, sothing seed to flash in Julian's vision.
“Ugh…….”
In that mont, the face of Julian, who was about to swing his sword, froze.
Not even a scream ca out.
Thud.
The pain he felt in his solar plexus made his knees buckle on their own.
“Heok…….”
He couldn't breathe properly.
Shiver shiver shiver shiver.
The mont he belatedly realized his body was trembling.
Thump.
Julian, who had pitched forward headfirst, foad at the mouth and fainted.
“…….”
“…….”
Silence descended.
Killian dispersed the mana he had focused at the tip of the wooden sword.
“This feels much more comfortable, after all.”
Killian, who had swung the wooden sword in his hand with satisfaction, pulled the Cheonghwageom from Julian's grasp.
“I'll take this as paynt for sparing your life.”
Fwoosh.
The sword's flas, having received new mana, beca much more stable.
Whoosh. Whish.
Fwoosh. Fwoosh.
After extinguishing the flas with a few casual swings, he sheathed it in a suitable scabbard taken from the display case.
“F-Fourth Young Master!! What is the aning of this!! To do this and…….”
Rhodos, having grasped the situation belatedly, raised his voice, but.
“Shut it.”
“……!!”
His body stiffened under the gaze that looked at him as if he were an insect.
“Clean up the ss yourself. ……Haman?”
“Ye-Yes!!
At the call, Haman ca to his senses a step too late.
“Get the item.”
“Yes……?”
Killian gestured with his chin towards the silver box Rhodos was holding.
“If there are two guests, there should be two gifts.”
“Ah, I understand. Head Chamberlain Rhodos, excuse !”
“What……!!”
Thus, a scuffle began between Haman, who was trying to take the box, and Rhodos, who was trying not to lose it.
A short while later, Rhodos, now empty-handed, watched with a dazed expression as the two n opened the door and left.
And only then, belatedly.
“Y-Young Master Julian……!!”
He ran to his master, who had collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
***
Click.
Haman, having returned to the bedroom, locked the door.
And then.
“Hooooo…….”
He let out a deep breath.
Exhaling wasn't enough; he slumped right down onto the floor.
Killian wasn't the only one with trauma. Unlike him, who controlled his emotions using his Mana Heart, Haman had been trying his best not to show his heart, which had been pounding as if it would burst the entire ti.
“You did well.”
“I still don't know what just happened. How did you, Young Master, to Young Master Julian……”
“Sotis, there are realities that are hard to believe.”
I said vaguely, glancing over the two gifts I had received from Julian.
‘I've obtained an unexpected treasure.’
The Cheonghwageom and the Magic Stone of a Half Lycanthrope.
To a knight yearning for growth, they were like a fortuitous encounter.
‘The Cheonghwageom is a fad sword, with only about a hundred ever forged on the entire continent…… and a Half Lycanthrope's heart this well-preserved is also rare.’
“Haman, does the Sepia rchant Guild deal in items of this quality?”
“Of course. They may not have a relationship with the Empire, but Sepia has a firm grip on distribution in the frontier.”
Haman answered reflexively when I asked, my eyes fixed on the silver box.
Filling in the gaps in the Fourth Young Master's mory and general knowledge. This was sothing he had been paying attention to lately.
“So Julian Eurasia has such a rchant guild backing him?”
“Yes…… The third mistress of Eurasia is the rchant guild master’s only daughter, you see. She is quite famous for being vicious.”
Haman poured out information while cautiously observing .
“And the person you just made foam at the mouth is that rchant guild's only maternal grandson. What on earth were you thinking?”
He emphasized the words ‘only one’. It was in the hope that I would belatedly realize the gravity of the situation.
“I’ve got a useful card in my hand.”
“……?”
Contrary to the chamberlain’s worries, Killian showed a smile.
“Uh…… a card?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
He had assaulted the Third Young Master and taken two precious objects.
‘Despite his smiling face, he must be anxious inside. If not for that…….’
“Haman. I can hear your gears turning from here.”
“Yes, Young Master. If you just give the order, I will et with Head Chamberlain Rhodos again and smooth things over. Since they made the first mistake, if we offer reconciliation using the items we took as leverage……”
“What kind of dog-bone-catches-a-cow nonsense is that?”
“Pardon? A dog bone…… does what?”
“If you've caught a goose that lays golden eggs, you should think about taming it first. Why would you let it go?”
A dog bone? A cow?
A goose that lays golden eggs? Who?
Haman’s face seed to ask as much.
“What does that…….”
“I’m talking about Julian Eurasia.”
“…….”
Treating the Third Young Master like a golden goose, no, like a pushover?
He knew that his master had completely changed since a year ago, from his way of speaking and acting to his way of thinking.
But he was always left speechless by such unconventional remarks.
It was the sa with the swordsmanship that had defeated Julian just a mont ago. He hadn't even been able to properly see what had happened.
He could only guess that Killian had sohow recalled what he had learned from the family's acting head in his childhood after forging his Mana Heart.
“Still, it’s dangerous.”
He had a duty as a chamberlain.
Haman continued in a firm voice.
“Defeating Young Master Julian, who was a 2-star knight, is certainly a great feat, but you, Young Master, do not yet have any power.”
Killian nodded his head as if telling him to continue.
“I’ve heard that the third mistress has connections with a 6-star knight and a mage. The knights she keeps as guards are all skilled individuals of 4-star or higher. You must be careful. As you just saw……”
“Haman.”
“The mont they consider you a competitor, Young Master……”
“I understand well.”
“Whatever trick they use…… pardon?”
“I’m saying I understand how much you worry about , so I will be careful.”
“Uh…….”
Why was he accepting it so easily this ti?
Haman wore a bewildered expression at his unpredictable attitude.
Killian’s gaze upon his chamberlain was also peculiar.
The one inhabiting Killian Eurasia's body was a sword that had lived for thousands of years.
He had watched countless heroes who started from nothing and built their own power with only their two hands. To think he would shy away in fear of the power of the Third Young Master, who was rely influential in the frontier?
If he were Adamas, he would have laughed it off.
‘But not now.’
Unlike back then, his body was no longer made of steel.
He could no longer protect his people with countless Authorities wielded by infinite mana.
The current him was just a 1-star knight with a deep understanding of the sword and mana. A re novice who hadn't even stepped into the shadow of a Superhuman.
The more he had such thoughts, the more he felt.
‘I was lucky.’
Killian was satisfied with the Cheonghwageom in his hand and the contents of the silver box.
He had wanted to accelerate his growth rate anyway, but his body was so weak that he hadn't been able to pick up the pace.
‘If I decoct this properly, I might be able to aim for a 3-star Mana Heart.’
Furthermore, the Cheonghwageom was a precious object that could more than make up for the level of a 1-star knight.
If everything went according to plan, he could leap to the level of a 4 or 5-star knight in one go.
“Do you have any acquaintances among the family's apothecaries?”
“Pardon? Wasn't I supposed to decoct this as well?”
“An ingredient of this level must be handled by an expert. At least a high-grade apothecary would be needed to bring out its value.”
“I-I see.”
Haman showed a hint of disappointnt.
“You’ve been a sufficient help until now, so don't be too discouraged. So, any high-grade apothecary acquaintances?”
“There are so, but…… it will be difficult to ask for a separate favor.”
“Why?”
“This too…… you don't rember?”
“Nope. Just tell .”
“Then I’ll explain it simply.”
Haman placed the silver box and the Cheonghwageom side by side on the bedroom floor.
“Let's say the Cheonghwageom is the family, and this box is the apothecary. You rember that the family and the apothecary have a mutually supportive relationship, right?”
Killian gave a perfunctory nod. He had a feeling Haman's explanation was going to be long.
As expected.
“The apothecary is divided into low, mid, high, and highest grades, with Head Apothecary Loen at the center…… currently, the only highest-grade apothecary in the family is Head Apothecary Loen……”
Haman's words continued endlessly.
The relationship between the knight orders led by the three young masters and the apothecary.
The skill gap between apothecaries belonging to the family and outside apothecaries.
The personality of the cold-headed Head Apothecary who also served as a family elder, and so on.
From a rough overview to the detailed interests, a good five hours flew by while he listened to all the explanations.
Killian flopped down on the floor and stared at the ceiling.
‘So the effects of the succession competition have reached even the apothecary. This is more complicated than I thought.’
Considering the current situation, it seed difficult for Haman to directly connect with a high-grade apothecary.
‘If I entrust an ingredient of this caliber to a diocre apothecary, I won't even get my investnt back.’
The sooner one found the right person, the better.
“I'll have to visit the apothecary myself tomorrow.”
“You will go yourself, Young Master?”
“The access ban has been lifted, after all.”
“No, but still, so suddenly…….”
“I need to rest for today. It seems I swung a sword after too long.”
“…….”
“Tomorrow, we are going to the apothecary.”
“We?”
“Yes, we.”
“…….”
At his confident attitude, as if he already had an apothecary in mind, Haman could only nod his head.
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