Chapter 35

After Simon Eurasia and Escardo Schtenberg hunted the ruler of the Kurt Mountain Range over two days.

Rumors of the battle, so fierce that it had obliterated a part of the mountain range, spread throughout the frontier.

Another week passed, and when the three young masters injured in the subjugation had all awakened.

Simon Eurasia and Escardo Schtenberg had already returned to the family.

***

I emptied the decoction left by the Bastoni apothecary.

Ukshin.

“……”

My face instinctively contorted from the pain I felt in my heart.

It was the price for having pushed myself to use mana despite the reflux in the previous battle.

‘I’ll have to be bedridden for a year, but… was I helped by a stroke of luck?’

Putting down the recovery potion, I let out a breath.

In the battle against the second Slayer that I had forced, I had swung my sword prepared for my Mana Heart to be shattered and my heart to stop.

For the pain to have stopped at this level could only be explained as being helped by a stroke of luck.

‘No, it probably wasn't just luck.’

I gave a bitter smile at the strange sensation I felt from my Mana Heart.

In terms of size alone, it seemed to be three times that of a 6-star.

‘At that time, I had definitely reached the 7-star.’

The fact that it had ended at this level even after I had unleashed a sword technique akin to mutual destruction was largely due to my body being reconstructed upon reaching the realm of a Superhuman.

I got out of bed and looked into the mirror placed in the room.

A long scar running from below my neck to my shoulder.

The wound from the battle with the Slayer remained faintly.

‘Thank you.’

I recalled meeting Edan right after I had lost consciousness.

The undefeated knight from a time before he had set foot in the realm of a Superhuman, before he had experienced life and death.

If it were not for my memories of him, I would have been the one who was hunted.

“They say you have to visit a temple to get rid of scars?”

When I turned my head, I saw Julian, who had just entered the room, looking at me.

I was once again reminded that this was a foreign land. If this had been Eurasia, no one would have been able to enter my bedroom so freely.

“What is it?”

“How can I stand by when my tactician has been injured?”

‘My tactician…….’

I quietly looked over Julian.

He had finished the subjugation in the best condition among the four young masters.

“I heard you’ll have to recuperate for a year.”

One year.

Until my internal injuries were fully healed, I had to be careful not only with mana, but also with swinging a sword.

It was a harsh measure for a knight on the verge of growth.

I accepted it nonchalantly and asked about the news after I had fainted.

I had heard the general news from the Priest, but I needed to grasp the detailed circumstances.

“The second Slayer was dealt with by Sir Escardo himself.

I heard he ended its life with a single sword strike.”

I nodded my head.

It was a story I had been curious about.

‘The Slayer had entered the ranks of a Superhuman, but it was an incomplete one.

If it had been a complete Superhuman, all the young masters would not be of this world by now.’

That was no exception for the Julian in front of me.

Though it seemed he himself was unaware.

“The Family Head also visited. He ascended the mountain range as soon as he arrived and fought a battle.”

Julian’s body trembled slightly as he recalled the situation at that time.

The Family Head’s presence could be felt even from the center of the mountain range, and.

“The sky had split.

The Family Head has clearly reached a realm akin to an Authority.”

“……”

The ruler of the mountain range was an Arch Lich that had reached the 8-star.

Julian spoke of the Family Head’s battle with an agitated voice.

“The Family Head, who came down from the mountain range, still maintained a dignified appearance.”

“Is that so.”

“He even personally left a message for me, saying he would see me at the family estate!”

“I see.”

“Hahaha! I’m telling you, he did!”

With a pleasant laugh, Julian continued.

He said that right after the ruler was subjugated, the Family Head rode back to Eurasia on his horse.

In the heroic tale, which was slightly interspersed with his personal opinions, I focused on a different part.

‘Seeing that he couldn't even use a Warp stone, his Heart Break symptoms must have been severe.’

It was obvious that the Arch Lich's Magic Stone had been sent ahead using a Warp stone, and that the Head Apothecary would be making a recovery potion in the meantime.

‘If the Head Apothecary has overcome his slump, he should be able to make enough recovery potions……. Is the subjugation officially and completely over?’

Although it was for a short time, I had experienced the level of a 7-star.

In order not to forget this sensation, I needed to return to the family as soon as possible and focus on recovering my body.

“When is the date of our return?”

“There's no need to be in such a hurry.

There was an order from the family.”

“……?”

“I heard Bastoni is holding a banquet to celebrate the victory of the subjugation.”

“That's a sudden order.”

I frowned and asked back.

Holding a banquet right after a subjugation was not a special occurrence.

It was because even after shedding much blood, the family could show off its continued existence, and also forge new alliances.

The problem was that this was the Bastoni family, not Eurasia, and my physical condition was not perfect.

“An order was given for all the young masters to attend as well.

The Family Head personally commanded it before he left. Well, brother Paian has returned to the family because of his prosthetic arm issue.”

‘A good excuse to hide the Family Head’s condition.’

Julian, who had no way of knowing this fact, had a thoroughly flushed face.

“To make us forget the blood shed in the Kurt Mountain Range, it will probably be held on a rather grand scale.

It wouldn't be strange for all the nearby lords to gather.”

Julian had achieved clear merit in this subjugation.

With Paian’s influence greatly reduced, there would surely be those who would try to align with Julian.

“What is the situation of the other knight orders?”

“Not good.”

Julian clicked his tongue and told me the approximate extent of the damage.

The Black Knight Order was annihilated, and 50% of the Red Knight Order's forces dispatched as the advance party had either died or were seriously injured.

Compared to that, the damage to the White and Blue Knight Orders was relatively minor.

‘It’s heartbreaking to call it an unavoidable sacrifice.’

If there was a hopeful point, it was the change that would come to the knights who had survived even after facing the Slayers.

Survival and awakening in an extreme situation would lead them to growth.

That would be the same for Demian and Paian as well.

“Killian, I became certain while fighting this subjugation.”

“What is it now?”

“If you and I join forces, it's only a matter of time before we win the succession race.”

Julian's eyes were filled with an unprecedented confidence.

‘The more I know him, the simpler he is.’

It was to the point where I thought it would be better for the future of Eurasia for him to give up on the succession race.

Of course, I could not voice such thoughts.

Because my companionship with this simple-minded man had to continue for the time being.

“I need to rest. It seems sparring will be impossible for a while, so let's meet at the banquet.”

Just as at the beginning of the subjugation, a one-sided order to leave was given, but Julian's reaction was different from before.

A pleasant smile formed on his lips at the fact that he did not have to cross swords with Killian.

“Yes, get plenty of rest. I'll come and see you again before the banquet starts.”

After confirming that Julian had left, I laid my body down on the bed.

‘Am I stuck resting for the time being?’

I closed my eyes.

Perhaps because the subjugation had been arduous, drowsiness quickly washed over me.

***

The western frontier.

In the family head's office of Cornelia, known as the hegemon of the area, a man was looking over a report.

It was Selrot Cornelia, the acting head of Cornelia and a 7-star master magician.

“An Arch Lich… so he finally crossed the line.”

He swept up his neatly cut purple hair and continued.

“Charles, is the content recorded in the report correct?”

“Yes, uncle. I confirmed it myself using Clairvoyance.”

Charles Cornelia, a woman with impressive purple hair that came down to her shoulders and the second daughter of the family, replied with a gentle smile.

Selrot nodded his head.

Her skill of stabilizing the 5-star at twenty-five was impressive, but her true value lay in utilizing the family's secret magic.

Clairvoyance.

The fact that she could use magic that would normally require a 7-star at the level of an intermediate 5-star was proof of that.

Even with the support of the Mage Tower's mana and its affiliated mages, it would be impossible to even attempt without a perfect understanding of the formula.

“Harold McCann became an Arch Lich and the ruler of the Kurt Mountain Range, and the head of Eurasia killed him himself.

From Cornelia's perspective, it's a regrettable result in many ways.”

“Is there still no news from the Family Head?”

“No. The Head Apothecary and the Vice Head Priest of the Roto Temple occasionally drop by to check, but… it seems we'll have to wait a little longer.”

Selrot sighed as he thought of his older brother, who had entered secluded training.

Hel Cornelia, a 7-star master magician and an Arch Mage who had made the name Flame Emperor famous on the continent.

He had entered seclusion around the same time as Simon Eurasia, but there had been no significant results yet.

“If that Harold McCann had truly reached the 8-star, it would have given a great awakening to the Family Head's achievement.”

Selrot clicked his tongue as if in regret.

The last recorded achievement of Harold McCann, who was confirmed to have become the ruler of the Kurt Mountain Range, was intermediate 7-star.

He, who specialized in body modification magic, had been receiving Cornelia's support for a long time and sharing his research results.

It had been five years since he had left for the Kurt Mountain Range saying he was looking for specimens, and all contact was lost.

Through the Hennessy Western Branch, with whom their relationship had recently progressed, they had obtained information that he was in seclusion in the mountain range.

It was right after that that Eurasia had carried out its subjugation.

“It was a mistake not to have considered the possibility of an Arch Mage of that level becoming a monster.”

The rulers of the mountain ranges built their own territories deep in the mountains and did not move.

And since monsters acting as a royal guard naturally gathered around them, access was naturally blocked unless one was determined to carry out a subjugation.

“It's a regrettable situation in many ways for Cornelia.”

“Is it because of Heart Break?”

“Yes.”

They had inherited numerous secret magics and knowledge through the notes left by their ancestors.

It was thanks to this that they were able to rebuild the Mage Tower in the frontier and have at least two 7-star level mages in each generation.

And the fact that those who reached the 8-star suffered from Heart Break symptoms was also known through the knowledge of their ancestors.

“Eurasia has a capable Head Apothecary.”

“Loen Favre. You mean the apothecary the Family Head was talking about.”

“I think it would be difficult even for her to handle the Heart Break symptoms, but… the timing is peculiar.”

If Harold McCann had become the Arch Lich, the ruler of the mountain range, his heart would meet the conditions as an ingredient for a medicine to control Heart Break.

For Cornelia, it was as if they had lost two cards at once: the results of Harold McCann's research and the right to negotiate with Eurasia.

“Uncle, that's not all I saw with my Clairvoyance.”

“Hmm?”

“It's about Eurasia's Fourth Young Master.”

Selrot frowned to recall a forgotten memory.

“The Fourth Young Master… yes, there was an illegitimate child brought from the continent.”

“Yes. His name is Killian Eurasia.”

“Right. That unremarkable child. Why him all of a sudden?”

“I think the Fourth Young Master has mastered the 6-star.”

“What……?”

Selrot, who had been frowning, opened his eyes wide in disbelief.

“I think there was a discrepancy in the information. It's possible that Eurasia spread it that way for misdirection.”

“Ha……”

Among the four young masters of the Eurasia family, only two had skills worth noting.

The first young master, Demian Eurasia, who was considered a genius, the second young master, Paian Eurasia, and if one were to broaden the scope, the third young master, Julian Eurasia, who was at the level of a common talent.

But the Fourth Young Master, the youngest among the brothers and considered to have no talent, had suddenly mastered the 6-star?

‘Was he being quietly honed to be used as the Family Head's sword?’

It was a twist that could only be thought of in that way.

“If that's true… Simon Eurasia got one over on me.”

Unlike Selrot's hardened face, Charles still had a fresh smile on her lips.

“I heard they're holding a banquet at Bastoni. And all of Eurasia's young masters are attending.”

“Are you planning to go?”

“It was just about time brother Arles needed some stimulation, too.”

Arles Cornelia, as the eldest son of the family, had mastered the 5-star at the age of twenty-six.

Like the heads of the family, he had formed a rivalry with Demian Eurasia long ago.

“As the acting head, I permit it. I'll leave the selection of personnel to you.”

“Thank you, uncle.”

Charles smiled gently and recalled the confrontation between the Knight Slayer and the knights she had seen with her Clairvoyance.

Among them, the silver-haired man who had wielded his violent sword so nonchalantly.

‘Killian Eurasia. I look forward to meeting you.’

Her, who was unaware that the corners of her mouth were rising on their own.

‘Oh dear, Charles's curiosity has flared up again.’

Selrot watched with a worried expression.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.