“How is he?”
“Not yet.”
Andrew replied with a stiff face.
Skevin looked at the closed door and continued speaking.
“And Sir Millerf?”
“He regained consciousness at dawn, but it doesn't seem like he's past the critical stage.”
“Hmm…”
Just as Skevin's face was filling with worry, Leusanna approached.
“Sir Skevin, the Madam is looking for you.”
Skevin nodded and then said to Andrew.
“Tell imdiately if the Young Master wakes up.”
Leusanna watched Skevin's back as he walked to the office, a look of pity on her face.
“He hasn't slept a wink in two days, has he?”
“Not only that, most of the Knight Order are staying awake, waiting for the Young Master to wake up.”
“He needs to wake up soon so the Madam can regain her spirits too, sigh—.”
Leusanna let out a deep sigh as if the ground would collapse and looked at Andrew.
He too looked clearly exhausted.
He must not have slept a wink for two days while nursing Arthur.
For the sake of everyone worried around him, Arthur had to wake up soon.
“Stay strong. The Young Master will surely wake up.”
“I believe so.”
“Right, but how is Young Master Aild? He must be having the hardest ti of anyone.”
“For two days, he hasn't slept or even eaten, doing his best with the sole focus of saving him.”
Andrew looked at the door with a worried expression.
***
“Let's try this for now.”
Aild put the prepared ingredients into a large beaker and poured in all of the troll's blood he had painstakingly acquired a few years ago.
Then, as if a chemical reaction was occurring, it began to bubble and boil, generating intense heat.
“Please…”
Aild took a step back, clasped his hands tightly, and prayed for success.
The ingredients in the beaker mixed with the troll's blood and turned pitch black, then the color slowly began to fade.
After about ten minutes had passed…
It had transford into a transparent, erald-colored liquid.
“I-it worked!”
Aild wore a deeply moved expression.
It wasn't perfect, but with this, he should be able to wake Arthur up.
He poured the liquid from the beaker into a cup and walked to the bed where Arthur was lying. Then, he parted Arthur's lips with his hand and poured it in little by little.
“Please, wake up.”
He held Arthur's hand tightly with a desperate heart.
As if his feelings had been conveyed, a reaction soon appeared from Arthur.
Arthur grimaced and squeezed Aild's hand tightly.
“Arthur…”
“No!”
Arthur shouted as he shot upright.
“Hah, hah, hah.”
He suddenly began to breathe raggedly, cold sweat pouring down like rain.
Aild checked Arthur's condition and asked.
“Are you okay?”
“W-water…”
“Oh, right.”
Aild nodded and quickly brought him so water.
Arthur gulped down the water and then looked around.
“What happened?”
“Wait a mont. Andrew!”
“Yes! Young Master!”
Andrew flung the door open and entered.
Standing outside the door, he had beco anxious when he suddenly heard a loud noise from inside.
Could sothing have happened to Arthur, or was there a problem with Millerf?
All sorts of ominous thoughts had crossed his mind.
Contrary to his expectations, seeing Arthur awake made his heart swell with emotion, and tears stread down his face.
“Young Master! *Sob, sob*.”
He wiped his tears with his sleeve as he approached Arthur.
Arthur nodded and said.
“I'm sorry.”
“You mustn't say such things. You, Young Master, are the pillar of the House of Count Julius and the hope of the people. You must always show a dignified appearance. I will pretend I didn't hear what you just said.”
“Alright. I'll take those words to heart.”
Arthur gave a faint smile and continued.
“Call Skevin for .”
“Yes, sir!”
Andrew smiled brightly and went outside.
Arthur stared at the door he had left through for a mont before shifting his gaze to Aild.
“What happened?”
“You were unconscious for two days.”
“What!”
Arthur was startled.
“I was busy treating you, so I didn't get to ask what happened. Skevin brought you here, so ask him.”
“I suppose so.”
Just as Arthur was about to nod, he rembered Millerf.
“What happened to Millerf?”
“Hmm.”
Aild's expression hardened. He walked over to a curtained-off area and pulled the curtain back.
The sight of Millerf, asleep in bed, ca into view.
“He woke up at dawn today, but the situation isn't good.”
“How bad?”
“He's currently holding on by the power of potions.”
“What about asking a mage from another territory?”
“It probably won't do any good…”
Aild seed unable to continue, then, as if rembering sothing, he went on.
“There is a way, but it's so dangerous you'd have to risk your life.”
“What is it?”
“An Elixir. It's a legendary potion said to be able to bring even the dead back to life. If Millerf drinks that, wouldn't he recover?”
“Where is it?”
“They say dragons made it, so wouldn't there be one in a dragon's lair?”
“I see.”
As Arthur got up from the bed, Aild's eyes widened.
“What are you doing?”
“This is no ti to be lying idly in bed.”
Arthur gathered his clothes and prepared to go out.
Just then, Skevin entered.
“Young Master!”
Seeing Arthur, his eyes reddened.
He had so much to say to him, but there was sothing he had to do first.
He approached Arthur, knelt respectfully, and bowed his head.
“I will report on the situation of the Knight Order and the territory. There are 67 casualties and 35 deaths. And half of the town has burned down…”
Arthur listened to his entire report in silence before speaking.
“We will hold a morial service for one week.”
“Yes.”
“The families of the deceased will be told they are heroes who sacrificed themselves for the House of Count Julius and the Grada Territory, and they will receive appropriate compensation.”
“Thank you.”
“And after the morial service ends, we will begin repairs on the town. Once that is settled, I will reward the Knight Order for their victory in the territorial war.”
Tears welled up in the eyes of Skevin, who still had his head bowed.
Despite having just woken up from the brink of death, the sight of Arthur taking care of the Knight Order and the people first filled him with respect and a wave of intense emotion.
Seeing the image of the lord he had always dread of, his heart swelled with pride.
However, given the situation, he couldn't show his happy feelings outwardly.
He just swallowed them and waited for Arthur's next words.
“Let's talk.”
As Arthur walked to the door, Aild asked.
“Are you really okay? If there's anything wrong with your body, tell right away.”
Arthur paused before stepping outside. Then he turned back and t Aild's gaze.
“It seems you've found what you can do.”
“Y-yes…”
Aild looked slightly embarrassed and continued.
“The day our brother died, I made a decision. To do what I do best.”
“A good decision.”
“I don't know if I'll be of help to you. But just wait a little. I will try to contribute, even if just a little, to raising the House of Count Julius again.”
“You're already a great help.”
Arthur added one more thing as he went out.
“Thank you.”
Skevin quickly followed Arthur.
Left alone, Aild stared blankly at the door, then a faint smile appeared on his lips.
Then he shifted his gaze to Millerf.
“Did you hear that? I will do my best, so you mustn't grow weak either, Sir Millerf.”
***
“What happened?”
Having climbed the castle wall, Arthur looked toward the West Mountain Range and asked Skevin.
Skevin recounted the situation from two days ago when he had found him.
“So that's what happened.”
“Did you fall with the ogre?”
Arthur nodded, recalling what had happened at the bottom of the cliff.
When he entered the secret space, a voice had echoed in his mind.
He pondered the words it had spoken.
‘The chosen one…’
No matter how he thought about it, it seed to be referring to Teheran Julius.
The fact that the dragon crest carved on the wall reacted to the light from his necklace, allowing him to enter, supported this.
But why am I not the chosen one?
Co to think of it, it said I wasn't worthy.
‘Hmm, if it's about qualifications…’
Putting together the various circumstances, it seed one needed to et certain qualifications to enter that place.
What could those qualifications be?
Just as he was deep in thought…
He suddenly felt a searing heat rise from below his navel.
‘What is this?’
Arthur grimaced and placed a hand on his stomach.
Skevin, watching from the side, tensed up at the sight.
“What's wrong?”
“Ughh…”
Arthur felt the intense heat that started in his stomach spreading throughout his body as if through his blood vessels.
His whole body quickly began to burn as hot as lava.
“It's so hot…”
“Young Master!”
Skevin hoisted Arthur onto his back to take him to Aild.
Far from being hot, his body was as cold as ice.
The chill was so intense it seed to penetrate to the bone.
“What's happening to him?”
Just as a bewildered Skevin was about to hurry down…
“…!”
He dropped Arthur in surprise.
Because his body had suddenly beco as hot as if it were on fire.
In contrast, Arthur was curled up on the ground, shivering violently.
The exact opposite phenonon from a mont ago was occurring.
“This is insane.”
Skevin didn't know what to do.
He tried to carry him on his back, but he couldn't because he was as hot as a ball of fire.
It seed faster to go get Aild.
“Please endure for a mont. I'll go get Young Master Aild right away.”
Skevin quickly ran down.
“Ughhh…”
Arthur contorted his face in agony and rolled on the ground.
Then his body began to repeatedly turn red and then deathly pale.
“Just why…”
Just as Arthur was gritting his teeth to endure the pain!
A trendous roar, like thunder and lightning striking, echoed in his mind.
For an instant, Arthur froze like a stone.
The dragon pendant glowed.
Despite it being broad daylight, it was very clear and bright. At the sa ti, a voice was heard in Arthur's mind.
-Be enraged!
“…!”
-Your rage is your strength!
‘This voice…!’
It was Teheran.
Co to think of it, the voice he heard when fighting Yakim was also his.
It seed that the source of Teheran Julius's power was rage.
The mont he realized that, Arthur's eyes turned golden.
Simultaneously, a golden aura flared up, emitting a terrifying killing intent.
His slowly rising figure was reminiscent of a Yaksha erging from hell.
It looked like he would kill and destroy everything in sight.
However, his powerful and bloodthirsty aura was soon sucked in, as if being absorbed into the area below his navel.
As the aura vanished, he returned to his original state.
“Hah, hah, hah.”
Arthur panted heavily.
Just as he was unable to understand why such a phenonon had suddenly occurred to him…
“…!”
Another ring had ford below his navel.
In other words, he had risen from the 3rd star to the 4th star.
But unlike when he went from the 2nd star to the 3rd, he couldn't feel any particular change other than the additional ring.
To check what had changed, he drew up his mana.
A heavy energy spread throughout his body along with intense heat.
An enormous power surged.
He tried moving his body.
It was as light as a feather, and his speed was incomparably faster than before. He felt as if he had received a buff spell from Millerf.
“Incredible.”
As Arthur let out a cry of admiration, the bell of the castle tower shone brightly as if reflecting sunlight.
The light refracted and shone on Arthur, and the light was sucked into the necklace.
At the sa ti, Teheran's words from the underground tomb ca to mind.
‘Absolute strength…’
Curiosity appeared on Arthur's face.
“What could it be?”
At that mont.
In the West Mountain Range, where Arthur and the ogre had fought, n in black robes appeared.
They too looked at the pure white light reflecting from the tower of the House of Count Julius's castle.
“As expected.”
“There was a reason these things died.”
“The one who inherited the legacy of the Mad Demon…”
One of them smiled aningfully and continued.
“A storm of blood is coming.”
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