The Count's Gun-Shooting Scoundrel

Chapter 30

“No! I don’t understand why you would volunteer for such a dangerous task.”

“I’m doing it because I am the owner of this ring.”

“What do you mean…?”

For a moment, Madeline wore a blank expression.

“I intend to do everything in my power for the House of Count Julius, for the Grada territory.”

“Arthur…”

Madeline’s eyes reddened.

Right now, he was the very picture of an ideal family head.

She knew it was the right thing to do, but becoming a decoy at the risk of his own life was an incredibly dangerous gamble.

If the lords of other territories were faced with this situation, how many of them would think as Arthur did?

She was certain there would be none.

They were the kind of people who naturally believed their own lives were the most precious things in the world.

Madeline was immensely proud that Arthur, once called the scoundrel of Grada, had grown so admirably.

“I am so proud of you.”

“Thank you.”

Arthur bowed his head respectfully.

Madeline took a small box from her desk drawer and placed it in front of Arthur.

“Open it.”

“What is this?”

“It is a keepsake from Lord Teheran Julius.”

“...!”

In that instant, Arthur’s eyes flashed open.

“I heard from Millerf. You inherited Lord Teheran’s legacy, didn’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You can think of it as another heirloom of the House of Count Julius. I was told it reveals a special effect only for the one who has inherited his legacy.”

“Really?”

A look of curiosity spread across Arthur’s face.

The item inside the box was a pendant in the shape of a dragon, the symbol of the House of Count Julius.

He took it out of the box and put it around his neck.

He waited in anticipation to see what effect would appear, but there was no reaction at all.

As Arthur tilted his head in confusion, Madeline asked.

“What’s wrong?”

“There’s no reaction.”

“No reaction?”

Gazing at the necklace, Madeline suddenly recalled what Count Halmert, Count Malcom's father, had told her when he passed it down.

“He said it might have been sealed because a master hadn’t appeared for a long time.”

“Sealed…”

Arthur showed a hint of disappointment.

Given the current situation, he had hoped it would be of some help.

But it was too early to be disappointed.

Millerf might be able to break the seal, or at least know how to.

“I’ll see if I can figure it out.”

“And your father’s armor is in the study.”

“I will never do anything to tarnish the honor of the House of Count Julius.”

“That doesn’t matter to me. I only wish for you to be safe.”

“Then, I will take my leave.”

Arthur rose from his seat, bowed politely, and went outside.

Madeline stared at the door he had left through, her hands clasped tightly.

“You must be safe.”

***

“This is the place.”

Arriving at the entrance to Count Malcom’s study, Arthur calmly stepped inside.

The place was clean, belying how long it had been vacant, and was surrounded by books on all sides.

And next to a dignified-looking desk hung the heirloom of the House of Count Julius: a suit of golden armor.

Befitting an armor passed down through generations, it exuded an aura so magnificent and powerful it was beyond description.

But it had one flaw.

It had no helmet.

There were rumors that it had been destroyed in the battle with the Demon King, but no one knew for sure what had happened.

“Will I even be able to move properly in this?”

As Arthur approached with a questioning look, a faint light flickered on the necklace before disappearing.

However, Arthur did not notice it.

He stood before the armor and touched it cautiously.

Each time his fingertips made contact, he had the illusion of hearing a very faint humming sound.

“What is this?”

The sound that echoed in his ears each time he touched it seemed to say that it had been waiting a long time for its master to appear.

Arthur spoke to the armor as if it were a person.

“I’m counting on you.”

At that, the armor glowed softly.

“W-What the?”

As Arthur’s eyes widened, the necklace also began to glow faintly again, shining its light on the armor.

The armor, as if resonating with the necklace’s reaction, shone with a brilliant light and emitted an indescribable aura.

“H-How can this be…”

The armor felt like a great mountain, and a human voice could be heard.

—Are you the one who awakened me?

“The, the armor is talking…”

Arthur’s gaze wavered uncontrollably.

—Identify yourself.

“Umm…”

He was reminded of what had happened at Teheran Julius’s tomb.

Arthur calmed his startled heart and replied.

“I am Arthur Julius.”

—A descendant of Teheran. It has been a very long time.

“Who are you?”

—I am Khanmurasas. In accordance with Teheran’s will, I sealed my soul within his armor.

“What did you say?”

Arthur’s eyes shot open.

Khanmurasas told him the story of why he had sealed his soul in the armor.

Arthur listened to his words in silence before speaking.

“So you’re saying you prepared countermeasures for the Demon King’s resurrection?”

—That is correct.

“Good grief.”

Arthur’s expression turned grave.

Khanmurasas was Teheran Julius’s companion and a 9th-Class Great Mage.

After unifying the Oscar Empire, the two of them set out to subjugate monsters.

They led an expedition force and invaded the ‘Kanura Continent,’ known as the monsters’ habitat.

While subjugating the monsters, they discovered the Demon King was behind them, and they sought him out for a battle to the death.

The battle, which lasted for a fortnight, ended when the Demon King fell from a cliff on the Hill of Death.

But the Demon King had shouted that he would surely return for revenge.

Thus, before their deaths, Teheran and Khanmurasas had established a contingency plan for the Demon King.

—Descendant of Teheran, I shall now transfer my memories to you, so prepare yourself.

“Memories?”

—To face the Demon King, the information Teheran and I collected is absolutely essential.

“Shouldn’t we sort out the situation I’m in first?”

—The fact that the necklace reacted is proof that the Demon King has returned. And though you have inherited Teheran’s legacy, with your current skill, you will not be able to properly face his minions, let alone the Demon King himself.

“What!”

Arthur was taken aback.

—He will surely seek revenge. You must find and deal with him before he fully awakens. To do that, you must first acquire the necessary power.

“How do you know the Demon King has returned? Isn’t it a bit much to judge based solely on the necklace’s reaction?”

—That necklace is enchanted to react only when the Demon King’s aura is detected.

“The Demon King’s aura can’t be that easy to detect, can it?”

—It also reacts when those called the minions of the Demon King are detected. The detection of their aura means he has returned.

“Who are they? They can’t be mere Goblins or Orcs.”

—The Khadrajin.

“...!”

For a moment, Arthur’s eyes wavered.

‘That creature!’

He asked with a tense expression.

“Are you talking about an Ogre with horns on its head?”

—How do you know of them? It should still be some time before they can attack the empire.

“Damn it!”

Arthur’s face twisted horribly.

That was the name they had given them on Earth.

But how were they called the same thing here?

His mind became a tangled mess.

It seemed he would find out what was going on if he received his memories.

“What do I have to do to receive the memories?”

—Empty your mind, and with a calm heart, draw up your mana. A large amount of information will enter you momentarily, so there will be a certain degree of pain.

“Alright. Begin.”

Arthur let out a deep breath and drew up his mana.

A few seconds passed.

The armor, as if sensing the mana, shone with a brilliant light.

Simultaneously, a tremendous amount of information began to pour into his mind.

The pain was so intense it felt like his head would explode.

He gritted his teeth and endured, but against the pain that washed over him like a tidal wave, Arthur clutched his head with both hands and collapsed to the floor with a thud.

“Ugh…”

He tried to overcome it somehow, but it was too much.

Unable to bear it any longer, he finally let out a scream and writhed on the floor.

“Aaargh!”

Only after several minutes did the screaming stop.

Arthur stared blankly at the ceiling with bloodshot eyes.

Inside his head, the memories of Khanmurasas and his own memories were unfolding and intersecting like a panorama.

The one called the Demon King was identical to the one he had killed during his last mission.

And the strange creatures that had invaded Earth were identical to the monsters here.

In particular, the Khadrajin and the Ultrazan had been the strongest among that creature’s subordinates, but here they were known as the minions of the Demon King.

Putting all the circumstances together, he formed a hypothesis.

When the Demon King fell from the Hill of Death, he must have cast a dimension travel spell just before dying.

That was how he had traveled to Earth, and at the very moment he was killed by Arthur, he might have cast it again to return here.

But he had clearly confirmed that his head had been shattered.

For him to have survived despite that was simply impossible.

As his mind grew more complex and questions continued to pile up.

—Descendant of Teheran, with this, my duty is done. I pray you will save the world from the Demon King.

“Wait a minute!”

Arthur shot to his feet.

But the light from the armor was gone.

“I still have questions for you!”

In a situation where just dealing with Count Yarve was overwhelming, he had now learned that a colossal enemy called the Demon King was targeting the House of Count Julius.

It was truly absurd.

He decided to put out the most urgent fire first and think about matters related to the Demon King later.

Arthur took off the clothes he was wearing and began to don the armor.

The more he tried to understand the situation he was in, the more his anger surged.

“Why is this happening to me?”

***

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As Arthur entered the smithy, the sound of hammering echoed.

He pushed through the hazy curtain of steam in front of him and walked toward the sound.

A moment later.

The steam cleared, revealing Van.

Sweating buckets, he was stretching his back.

Arthur looked at the CheyTac and the Kukri on the table and asked.

“Are you done?”

“The Kukri is finished, and I’m still making the items you requested.”

Van picked up a basket from the floor and placed it on the table.

The basket was piled high with daggers.

A rough glance suggested there were at least twenty.

“This should be enough.”

“Y-Young Master… that armor is…”

Van stared at the golden armor Arthur was wearing with a shocked expression.

“It’s my father’s armor.”

“May I take a look at it?”

“Go ahead.”

“Alright then.”

Van quickly moved behind Arthur to examine it, and his eyes flashed as if he had discovered something.

“Just as I thought.”

“What is it?”

“It was made by dwarves.”

“By dwarves?”

“It’s stamped with a dwarf’s mark. What’s more, it seems to have a special magic cast on it.”

Arthur nodded.

“That’s right. When I put it on, it changed size to fit my body perfectly and became lighter.”

“But where is the helmet?”

“There isn’t one.”

“I see. May I examine the armor later? If I can understand its construction principles, I could make some for the Devil's Corps members. And I will also make a helmet for you, Young Master.”

“Understood.”

As Arthur looked at the weapons with a satisfied expression, a familiar object next to the table caught his eye.

“Did Leusanna stop by?”

“Ah, she came by a little while ago with something she said you requested.”

“She made it just as I wanted this time, too.”

Arthur had asked her to make straps to hold the daggers.

He slung one long strap diagonally across his shoulder and fastened the other around his waist.

Then, he began to insert the daggers from the basket into the straps one by one.

Van, who was watching the scene, asked.

“Are you going to use them for throwing?”

“That’s right.”

“I have some I’ve made for throwing, would you like to see them?”

Van went somewhere and returned, this time with another basket.

The basket was filled with various types of weapons that could be used for throwing.

“These will be perfect to give to Dark and Perry.”

Arthur was in the middle of securing the daggers to the straps.

Bwooo—! Bwooo—! Bwooo—!

Unlike usual, the sound of a horn blared three times.

“Damn it!”

Arthur’s face contorted as he quickly grabbed the Cheytac and the Kukri.

Van asked with a grave expression.

“What is that signal?”

“It’s them.”

Arthur snatched up the CheyTac and Kukri and dashed outside.