The Genius Son-in-law of the Swordmaster Household—Blessed by Authority

Chapter 99 : To Home (1)

To Home (1)

Now that Scarlet's first-aid treatment was finished, and the spoils had been collected, everything was done.

All the magic tools in the room used to extract magic power had been stored inside the Authority of Projection, and now, all that was left was to go outside.

'Still, just in case, for the last time.'

Ian meticulously searched the hideout, wondering if there might be any more hidden rooms.

Nothing good would come from staying in a place like this any longer, so he moved quickly.

He felt along the floor, infused his enhanced energy into the walls, and even scanned the ceiling.

As a result, it seemed there were no more rooms.

'Makes sense.'

Even the room where Scarlet was imprisoned was a facility far too sophisticated for a small hideout like this.

From the magic tools used to extract magic power, to the concealment talismans.

Each and every one was expensive.

'A facility for sealing and exploiting a high-tier vampire of grandmaster rank, no less.'

There was no way such a terrifying facility could be mass-produced cheaply.

No doubt the demons had poured tremendous amounts of money and resources into these installations.

It was highly unlikely that there would be anything else so costly in a hideout of this size.

'But how did Scarlet end up captured in a place like this?'

It was hard to believe Scarlet had been overpowered and captured by the demons here.

He could say with certainty that those guys would never be a match for Scarlet.

Most likely, Scarlet had been taken prisoner by the highest-ranking demons of the Demon Cult.

And then, perhaps, handed over to the guys here under the pretense of management and support.

'The demons I killed today—unexpectedly, they might've been quite a promising team in the Demon Cult.'

No way the Demon Cult would entrust a powerful vampire like Scarlet to some nobodies.

On the contrary, it was probably because they were such a group that they could so fearlessly attack the Sword Dragon Hall of Hisperion.

If Ian had not appeared as an unexpected factor, those guys' operation would have been a complete success.

'It was bewildering when they showed up out of nowhere.'

But looking at it now, it was lucky, in a way.

He'd managed to eliminate those dangerous guys in advance, and even save Scarlet—his precious companion from his previous life.

'Time to leave.'

There was nothing left for him here.

He had to get out quickly before any more demons showed up.

Ian hoisted Kargon and Scarlet over his shoulders and hurried up the hideout's stairs.

The hideout was only a two-story underground building.

After climbing a bit, he soon saw the main door.

Sunlight was streaming in through the crack under the door.

It must have been broad daylight outside.

It wasn't so different from the time zone of the deserted island.

'So we're not far from the deserted island.'

If it were really far away, day and night would have been reversed.

'I somewhat expected this.'

For the portal device used by the demons, the greater the distance, the more magic energy it needed.

Considering the average proficiency of those guys, they wouldn't have had enough magical vigor left to escape if they fled to a distant place.

Therefore, this was likely still Hisperion territory.

'I have to shield Scarlet.'

Sunlight is extremely harmful to vampires.

Low-level vampires would burn to death instantly upon exposure to sunlight.

Why that is, exactly, is not known.

Some say it's because the original vampire progenitor was cursed by God in a distant past; others say it's because a vampire's life force is of the darkness attribute.

Honestly, whichever it is, it didn't matter much to Ian.

The only important thing was that Scarlet must not be exposed to sunlight.

—Swish!

Ian found a clean robe and put it on Scarlet.

Dressing an unconscious person isn't easy, but since it was a robe, all he had to do was slip her head and arms through, so it wasn't too hard.

In truth, sunlight was not such a deadly threat to a high-rank vampire like Scarlet.

Scarlet's rank was above that of most clan elders, so really, she could probably enjoy sunbathing without issue.

Her body's self-recovery was far faster than the rate at which the sun could destroy her flesh.

But right now, she was too weakened.

To promote faster recovery, he had to cover her and keep her out of the sun.

Just like humans avoid the cold wind when they catch a cold.

'Now, everything's ready. Let's go.'

Ian stood in front of the rusty main gate.

Where did the demons make their base, he wondered?

If it was Hisperion territory, he would report it directly to the head of investigations, Javier, so that the area could be searched.

They might be able to find even more demons.

Maybe even the brokers dealing with the Demon Cult.

It was also possible that a local family managing this area might be involved with the Demon Cult.

—Clunk!

—Creeeeak...!

Ian slowly opened the rusty doors.

Sunlight poured in, diffused through heavy fog.

Immediately, he could see countless buildings in front of him.

'... It's a city?'

He'd thought they might end up in a forest or a cave.

But unexpectedly, their base was right in the middle of a city.

'Here... Ah!'

Ian instantly figured out exactly where this was.

'The west... Kartai City! Damn...!'

The city he had visited months before while searching for Yuria, who had been kidnapped.

Home to a branch of the Dark Mage Association, notorious for its criminal gangs—a cesspool of a city.

The malignant tumor of Hisperion's western region.

This was Greysel territory—his own family's jurisdiction.

'... Hugo.'

For the first time in a while, Ian spat out the name of his biological father.

Normally, in a city, guards would regularly crack down on the Demon Cult and conduct unending patrols, making it difficult for demons to settle in.

But here...

Because Hugo botched budget allocation, law enforcement was wrecked, and there were neither crackdowns nor patrols.

That was why the demons could settle comfortably in a city of Hisperion.

'All the garbage of Hisperion comes from you in the end.'

He truly hated, with every fiber of his being, the fact that he was this bastard's son.

The great ancestors of Greysel had piled up achievements for over a thousand years, and that man alone was dragging it down.

In all respects, he was unfit to manage such a vast western region.

'Which is why, in the end, he was executed in my past life.'

In his previous life, Hugo was executed by Theo not long after the Heavenly Sword Lord went missing.

The Heavenly Sword Lord respected the history and achievements of Greysel, so continued to entrust the west to them and even supported them in various ways, but Theo, the fiery-tempered eldest son of Heavenly Sword Lord, never tolerated such incompetence as Hugo.

'That was... what, about ten or eleven years from now?'

Ten to eleven years.

Far too long to leave Hugo in charge of the west.

'I'll have to get rid of him sooner than in my previous life.'

Or at least kick him out of the lord's seat quickly.

He couldn't let Hugo keep letting Hisperion's west rot away.

He needed to depose Hugo as soon as possible.

Then rally the scattered loyalists of House Greysel,

Restore their dignity as one of the Seven Pillar Families of Hisperion,

And then, submit them to Yuria.

And if Yuria wished to become the next Heavenly Sword Lord again...

This time, as not just a mere knight, but as an elder of Hisperion and pillar of the Seven Houses, he would support her.

'But for that, I'll need to strengthen myself even more at Sword Dragon Hall.'

At very least, he needed to reach grandmaster level to take over House Greysel without incident.

Ian needed power so overwhelming that, even if he publicly killed Hugo, no one would dare oppose him.

'Let's get back. To the Heavenly Sword Palace.'

Ian carried the two on his shoulders and moved briskly.

His destination: Kartai City's Warp Gate.

In truth, a boy as young as Ian walking around in such a crime-ridden hellhole would normally invite trouble.

But—

"....."

"....."

People passing by only gave Ian a sideward glance.

No one blocked his way, nor bumped shoulders with him.

Carrying people over both shoulders must have made him look like a member of some organization.

Since they didn't know his affiliation, no one dared to mess with him.

Causing friction between organizations was a huge headache.

It wasn't Ian's intention, but the walk became easier.

Thanks to that, he soon reached the Warp Gate.

Ian hurried to the ticket counter and spoke to the receptionist.

"To Hisperion Main Residence. Three people. Tickets, please."

"Hm?"

The receptionist, picking his nose, looked at Ian askew.

"So... those two on your shoulders, who are they?"

He pointed at Kargon and Scarlet with the hand he'd just used to pick his nose.

"They seem unconscious... Are they corpses, by any chance?"

Maybe because this was such a crime-infested city, even a joke sounded serious.

Here, people probably did sometimes try to warp while carrying corpses.

"... They're patients. I need to transfer them urgently—please hurry."

"Ah yes, patients~ patients~."

The receptionist hummed as he dragged his feet.

"Aigoo... Why are the forms so far away~. Wait... no, that's not it."

A sly look entered his eyes.

"Are they really patients?"

"What else would they be?"

The receptionist leaned his chin on his hand.

"Who knows? Could be kidnapping, right? This city's pretty creepy, you know? This is kinda suspicious. Should I call the guards?"

"Ah... Hah."

Ian showed a look of annoyance.

He knew why this guy was acting this way.

He was expecting a tip.

Of course...

Even just to buy a ticket, you had to hand over a bribe.

This guy... a public servant, but if he did this in any other city, he'd be instantly fired.

Daring to seek private gain through Hisperion's public facility.

'It's infuriating, but...'

Causing trouble would only delay his return.

"How much do you want?"

"Hm?"

The receptionist's lips curled upward.

"No, it's not the money for the tickets—"

"I understand. I don't have much, but..."

Ian carefully set Kargon down and reached into Scarlet's robe.

—Fwip!

As if drawing a sword, he summoned a [Elegance Armory Longsword Lv.53] worth a whopping 5,000 gold, albeit only temporarily.

"I heard this is a very expensive sword—if I give you this, will you let it go?"

"Uh, uhh!?"

The receptionist jumped up involuntarily.

"Th-this!?"

The pommel bore a distinct brand mark.

'It's the real thing!'

His eyes went wide.

'This is Elegance Armory!!'

An ultra-luxury weapon brand, with equipment that cost thousands of gold each.

Even 1,000 gold was forty times his monthly salary.

'And this longsword wouldn't go for just 1,000 gold...!'

He'd heard that swords of this type were among the most expensive in the Elegance Armory line.

Moreover...

'What a remarkable appearance...! Look at that lustrous sheen...!'

The blade to the tip of the hilt was entirely jet-black, as if housing a mysterious spirit of darkness.

'Could this...! Even go for over 10,000 gold, a top-grade weapon...!'

10,000 gold would be four hundred times his monthly salary.

That was easily over thirty years' worth of wages.

This young boy obviously didn't know the true value.

If he did, he'd never just hand it over like this.

"Wh-what's with this!!"

Afraid the boy might pull the sword back, the receptionist hurriedly accepted it.

"Whoa, scary! I don't know a thing anymore! So! Where to again?!"

He hadn't even taken payment for the tickets yet, but rushed to prepare them.

He wanted to send the boy off before he changed his mind.

Anyway, the profits from selling this sword would more than cover a few tickets.

"To the Hisperion Main Residence. I'm glad you're being cooperative."

"Maybe I misjudged you! Now, now, quickly, quickly! The Hisperion Main Residence is up ahead, to Central Portal 1!"

"Thank you."

Ian lifted Kargon again and headed toward the portal to Hisperion Main Residence.

"Heh, heheheh!!"

The receptionist clapped his hands giddily, watching the boy's departing figure.

"You dumb brat! Idiot! Idiot! He doesn't even know what a treasure this is!"

Even if he asks for it back later, I'll never return it!

I'll feign complete ignorance, ha!

What can he do—he already gave it to me! Hehehe!

"Oh, oh!!"

He admired the sword's sleek lines with wonder.

Its jet-black gleam was nothing short of exquisite and noble.

As the receptionist, entranced, stroked the blade with reverence—

—Shhh...

"Huh?"

Suddenly, it felt as if the sword was growing lighter in his hands.

"Oh! Could this be—!"

A magic sword that amplifies the wielder's strength!?

It felt almost as if it weighed nothing!

'Let me swing this!'

The receptionist, delighted, raised the sword high.

Then—swoosh!

He slashed powerfully to the side.

"Huh?"

But the sword that had been in his hand only moments ago was gone.

"W-what!? Huh!? What is this!? Where'd it go!?"

He jumped to his feet, searching for the sword.

But all he saw was...

Black flecks, like ashes, floating through the air.

Ian had canceled the temporary projection as he moved toward the Main Residence.

"M-my 10,000 gold! My 10,000 gold, where did it go!!"

The receptionist ransacked the ticket booth like a parent whose child had been kidnapped.

He had already sold three tickets.

Since he'd sold them, it would be counted in the daily balance.

Nine gold per person, a total of twenty-seven gold.

Since he hadn't collected payment from the boy, his till was now short by exactly twenty-seven gold.

This kind of shortfall had to be covered by the receptionist himself.

In other words—

"Ah, no! Nooooo!!!! Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!"

Penny wise, pound foolish.

The sound of the receptionist's devastated scream echoed around the ticket booth for a long time.

It was the moment he lost more than a month's salary in an instant.

-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=

Idiot..

【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】