novelraw Chapter 144 : Chapter 144
Chapter 144 : Chapter 144
Chapter 144. He Was There
Paaaaaaaaang.
Feeling the wind brush past my ears, I looked down at the distant earth and let out a sigh without thinking.
"Hoo…."
As soon as I did, a shrill voice pierced Muno's ears.
"Are you back to your senses now?"
"Yes, yes?! Ah, yes!"
The old man, with his white hair down to his shoulders, a walrus mustache, and a mischievous expression, clicked his tongue at the answer.
"Yes. Your eyes have finally returned. I was wondering if you fell under another spell after the battle ended."
"I-I'm sorry."
"Losing your mind just because one girl disappeared… With such a soft mindset, you'll never overcome the seventh wall."
"It's not like that!"
After shouting back without realizing it, I belatedly remembered who I was talking to.
But.
"Yes, you have to live with a spirit that talks back to me like this."
Instead of blaming him, the duke smiled warmly and continued.
"A man should never show weakness carelessly. Especially in front of a woman he has in his heart."
"It-It's not like that either!"
"Denying it while arguing back so vehemently. It's something a young man can do. Tsk, tsk."
Seeing the duke clicking his tongue, I felt I had spoken unnecessarily.
‘This old geezer, really.’
As I felt a surge of anger, a question about the current situation suddenly came to mind.
"Are we going to Erundel right now?"
"That's right. It's right before our eyes."
"Then why are you taking me with you?"
"Why, do you dislike it?"
"No, it's not that. I've never heard of Your Excellency letting anyone else ride this wyvern…."
I only just remembered, but I had heard that he had refused even the king in his youth.
So why me?
The duke answered his question with a smirk.
"There are two reasons for that."
"Yes?"
"First. For some reason, Castaria seems to like you."
"…Yes?"
Muno, looking down at the wide back of the wyvern anew, met the gaze of the wyvern as it turned with a 'grrr' and snorted.
"Isn't that it getting annoyed?"
"Kehehe. Our Casty has quite a temper. She's just shy."
What 'ty'? What 'shy'?
I was speechless at the absurd choice of words, stammering.
"Divine beasts are picky about people, but strangely, she's been kind to you from the very beginning. I don't know why, though."
"Ah. Yes…."
The duke himself didn't know the reason, so what could I say?
‘Miya liked me from the first time she saw me, too. Could it be related?’
The moment he scratched his head.
"And, the other reason is because of your ability."
"…Yes?"
The unexpected words made my answer come a beat late.
"You, you seem to eat magic or demonic energy. Am I right? Rumor has it that it's because of that armor, but from what I see, it doesn't seem so. It all seems to be your own power?"
His tone was probing, but the old man's blue eyes seemed to have already been convinced.
What more excuses could I make?
"That's… correct."
"Hoh. So you really do absorb demonic energy?"
"Th-That doesn't mean I use demonic energy! I absorb demonic energy, refine it, and then convert it to mana to use it…!"
I hastily added more words.
"I can tell that much just by looking. It would be troublesome if you think of me as a blind man like the other half-wits."
At the duke's smirk, I couldn't help but shut my mouth again, stammering.
"Truly, a surprising and dangerous power. Be careful. If it flows into the Deus Empire, there will be quite a stir."
A stir, he says.
To a Seven-Star, is that danger only rated as a mere stir?
"I'm well aware. It's an ability that shatters the faith of magicians."
"Faith?"
I almost burst out in anger at his snort.
"…It's not something to laugh at. My life is on the line…."
"Ah, ah. I'm not laughing at you. I just wondered why you'd bring up something as grand as faith."
"Still…."
"Of course, half-wit magicians worship demons as outer gods. But the Seven-Stars, that is, the mages, know very well what kind of existence lends them power. They know they are monstrous things that can never be called gods."
"…Yes?"
"One can never cross the seventh wall without facing the essence directly, so half-wits who have faith in and worship demons can never become mages, no matter how talented they are."
It felt like I had heard something incredible.
"Still, it will be a threat to your life. So, you, would you like to receive some teachings from me?"
"Yes, yes!?"
After that, an even more incredible statement followed, making me forget the previous words.
"Th-Those words mean?"
"My disciple… not quite, but I'm saying I could probably refine you so you don't get killed off by some half-wits for no reason."
"Ah…."
At that moment, the thought that this was an opportunity came first.
The strongest in the kingdom. What knight wouldn't be honored to receive the teachings of a Seven-Star who calls himself the strongest Dragon Sword successor in history?
"Of course…!"
I was about to nod my head at once.
- I don't want to call him if possible, that's why.
- That person is a bit….
- The God of Destruction….
The words I heard from Anthony and Rantor weighed on my mind.
The situations I had experienced firsthand came to mind, and I snapped to my senses.
"…I am grateful for your words, but do I dare have such qualifications?"
I ended up smiling awkwardly.
As if guessing my thoughts, the duke smirked.
"If you were on the verge of the wall of a superhuman, I wouldn't want to start beating you already. Your form could become fixed due to my influence for no reason."
…Beating?
The moment I heard those words, a chill ran down my spine.
Does he express teaching someone like forging metal?
Just when I thought I should refuse.
"But it seems dangerous to just leave you be."
"Yes? Me?"
"Yes."
"What…?"
"That fight, some guy was watching. I couldn't even guess his location, and I don't know who he was, but there was definitely a guy that bothered me. At least a Seven-Star."
"Yes?!"
"Since he could avoid my senses on the battlefield, he's probably not a Corporeal Arts user, and if he were a Spirit Master or a Priest, he wouldn't have just watched a monster like a Hydra. So the remaining possibility is…."
Muno's expression inevitably contorted.
"A mage."
"Yes. A guy like that saw us. I would be delighted if a guy like that came at me, but you would be broken, wouldn't you? That's why I brought this up."
His words couldn't help but complicate my thoughts.
'Someone was watching? And a mage at that?'
I couldn't just dismiss what the Dragon Sword Duke felt as a mere delusion.
And if that's the case, there's only one thing I can guess.
"The Demon Cult Leader…."
Could it be that the one who could be called my true enemy was really there?
'Could his name be….'
Just as my thoughts were about to get complicated, recalling the memories of my childhood that the Hydra had shown me.
The duke's words cut off that flow.
"Hmm? Kraymal? I believe he died at the hands of your father 10 years ago?"
The Dragon Sword Duke, who seemed to see through everything, seemed to be surprisingly out of touch with recent information.
"…That's not it. Actually…."
As I carefully and simply explained the recent rise of the Demon Cult.
Only then did the duke's expression change.
"Hoh. The uproar in the north 10 years ago was only a part of it? No wonder…."
"Yes?"
"Ah, there was a strange incident in our family at that time, too. Thanks to that, I was tied down."
"Ah…."
"I heard that Enoch's friend and your father, along with other knights, made great sacrifices. If they were only a part, then perhaps the incident that happened to our family was also their work. Hmph…. Those damn things…."
I was curious about what he was talking about, but as the Dragon Sword Duke's expression turned ferocious, I couldn't dare to inquire further.
Then, a short while later.
"Well, anyway, my offer remains unchanged. If you're interested, answer me later."
"Yes?"
"I just don't want to see a talent like yours get broken by some random fool."
"You flatter me."
"Flatter you? On the contrary, it's excessive modesty. A 4-Star at an age just past adulthood. And to achieve that much with a bizarre trait that is difficult to explain as a 3rd trait, I wonder if there has ever been another one in the world."
At that moment, the face of Victon, who had a more bizarre trait at a similar age, flashed through my mind, but it wasn't something to bring up in this situation.
"Thank you for your interest. But…."
"Ah, let's talk about the rest later."
"Yes?"
"We're almost there."
Where the duke was gesturing.
There, the center of Erundel Castle, the mansion of the Marquis Osnal family, was visible.
* * *
"Thank you for coming, Your Excellency."
A middle-aged man with a gentle impression bowed his head before the Dragon Sword Duke, revealing his balding head.
A low posture unbelievable for a marquis of the kingdom.
But the duke's response to that was beyond common sense.
"Yes, Deort. Your head is almost bald too. I guess you can't help genetics, huh?"
…Wow.
As Muno stood there with his mouth agape at the ridiculously rude remark.
For a moment, Marquis Deort's face turned bright red.
The elite knights of the Osnal family standing behind him also flinched.
But.
"…Thank you for your concern. I have prepared a banquet that will not disappoint, so please come inside."
The marquis endured it.
'Wow, that's amazing.'
Muno couldn't help but be impressed by the sight of him smiling while suppressing his boiling anger.
But the duke's rudeness didn't end there.
"You almost let your family be destroyed because you raised your child wrong, and you were preparing for a party?"
"Heo…."
At those words, even Muno couldn't help but make a sound.
'Are you trying to pick a fight, old man?'
A verbal jab that mercilessly pierced the vital spot of the marquis's family, which had taken a fatal blow to its reputation and prestige.
'Why on earth did he come here? To pick a fight?'
At that, the marquis's expression, which had turned from red to pale, could not help but stiffen completely.
But, even so.
"Even to wash away my sins, shouldn't I treat the heroes who have achieved a great feat well, Your Excellency? Haha. Please come inside and give me more good words. You there… Sir Black Knight, let's go in together."
Wow….
Muno almost clapped unconsciously.
'That bald old man is amazing.'
To be able to smile like that even after being repeatedly insulted.
And he even put on a brave face and spoke respectfully to me, whom he had once ignored, calling me a northerner.
It was to the point where I thought that's what a great noble had to be able to do.
Indeed, whether the marquis's response was effective, even the duke, who was making a displeased face, seemed to have no intention of being rude any further.
"Good, Deort. You're not making mistakes like you did when you were young."
"Don't I have some experience now, Your Excellency?"
Soon, the duke, who clicked his tongue, patted the shoulder of the bowing marquis and walked past.
"Yes, you'll have to deal with the poison land that has formed near the southern border as soon as possible. I came here, enduring the trouble, to request that."
"…Poison land?"
"The Hydra created a disaster as it died. A report will come in soon, so judge well. If you're not careful, the footsteps of the Imperial merchant guild, which is your family's lifeline, could be cut off completely."
At those words, the marquis's face turned blue in a completely different sense than before.
"I will report to the royal family. But still, to deal with it properly, the one in a hurry will have to take action, right? It would be better to get help from the temple."
"O-Of course! Thank you for your instructions, Your Excellency!"
"Good. I've overexerted myself, so let's eat."
"Yes. Please come inside…."
"You, punk. I'm talking to you, Muno. What are you staring at blankly? Follow me in."
In the middle of the dizzying conversation.
'Wow…. to think that old man looks cool….'
Seeing the duke gesturing at him, Muno unconsciously took a step.
And only then did he become aware of the fatigue that had accumulated in his body.
Grumble.
Starting with the signal from his stomach, an extreme hunger rushed in.