The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 10

……

Aden was sitting cross-legged in his room.

“Huuu…”

He exhaled deeply and opened his eyes.

Aden smiled, feeling energy coursing through his entire body.

“Finally, all one hundred sessions are complete.”

The forced physical awakening method through the ingestion of poisonous herbs was finally over.

Aden looked at his reflection in the full-length mirror. His muscles were well-defined and his once slightly hunched back was now perfectly straight, giving him the appearance of a seasoned warrior.

It would be hard for anyone to believe he was the same person from a hundred days ago.

‘If I had rushed through it, I wouldn’t have seen such results.’

Initially, he considered doing the process three or four times a day due to his impatience to become stronger quickly. But that might have caused his body to fail.

Moreover, the side effects of trying to complete it in a short time would have reduced its efficiency.

Doing as much as possible consistently—that was the fastest way to grow stronger.

‘It’s ironic that I’m saying this when I train until I’m worn out and recover with potions.’

Aden grimaced, looking at the few empty potion bottles.

He had asked Cassie to refine the poisonous herbs and make them into potions for precise consumption.

This reduced the pain his body felt to one-tenth of what it was when he chewed the raw herbs.

‘I should have sought her help sooner.’

Looking back, he couldn’t believe he had been foolish enough to chew on the poisonous herbs. It seemed that his obsession with revenge had blinded him to everything else.

But he didn’t regret it. Strengthening his body and achieving at least one accomplishment was his top priority.

Aden examined the flow of mana within his body.

Thanks to purging all the waste and weak tissues, the flow and operation of mana were as smooth as oiled machinery. However, Aden’s expression was somewhat uncomfortable.

‘What exactly is this Demon Stone?’

The mysterious Demon Stone that was lying dormant within his mana core grew stronger as Aden developed.

Yet, he didn’t feel any discomfort or sense of danger from it, which was strange. The faint aura emanating from the Demon Stone was peculiar.

Sometimes it was calm, other times it intensified as if angry, and it often seemed to convey emotions through fluctuations in its strength.

These emotions were consistently the same: irritation, displeasure, frustration, boredom, and a bit of amusement.

It was as if the Demon Stone was talking to him, like it was complaining. But Aden shook his head.

‘What a crazy thought.’

There was no way the Demon Stone, merely a lump of energy, had thoughts.

Aden brushed off his thoughts about the Demon Stone and went to take a shower to wash off the last sticky remnants of waste from his body.

Feeling refreshed after his shower, Aden headed back to his room.

From a distance, he saw his attendant, Philip, running toward him.

“Huff, huff! Young Master! Something terrible has happened!”

Aden looked puzzled at Philip, who was pale and panting heavily.

“What is it, Philip?”

For Philip to come running like this, it had to be something serious.

“Carl…! Young Master Carl has gone missing in the Monster Mountain!”

The situation was as follows: The Monster Mountains, home to various beasts, were meticulously managed by the territory’s soldiers and knights.

They conducted regular beast hunts and surveillance annually.

One of the knights’ duties was to receive reports and manage the Monster Mountains on a rotating basis every fortnight. If anything suspicious arose, they would investigate immediately.

It was Carl’s turn to manage it this time.

Upon receiving reports of several herb collectors missing near one of the Monster Mountains, Carl had gone to investigate—a standard procedure given that the only beasts there were small goblin colonies and similar low-level creatures.

But Carl and dozens of territory soldiers had not returned. Scouts traced their path and found signs of a battle and human blood.

“That’s why the Duke has urgently dispatched a search party. The Madam also seems very unsettled due to anxiety.”

After hearing the story, Aden frowned in thought.

‘This is troublesome.’

A search party from the territory would not vanish without a trace unless something had happened.

The signs of battle indicated that something indeed had.

‘It happened so quickly they couldn’t send even one person back to request help.’

Aden’s eyes turned cold.

The investigation team had dozens of strong men, and Carl, though young, was an accomplished knight.

Yet, something happened in a mountain only home to goblins and similar low-level beasts? It was definitely not a common occurrence.

Carl might be in danger or worse.

‘This is problematic.’

If Carl were to die, Aden would be the only heir to the duchy.

This would disrupt his plan to leave the duchy and start his preparations for revenge.

‘I must save him.’

Having made up his mind, Aden spoke to Philip.

“I need to meet the Duke, no, my father, Philip.”

* * *

Aden and Philip headed to the study.

Duke Fried Remes looked very unwell, which was expected given that his beloved second son and territory soldiers were missing.

The first search party had found no significant traces despite a thorough search.

The Duke was preparing to send a second search party composed of highly skilled individuals capable of going deep into the Monster Mountain.

“…So, you want to join the second search party?”

“Yes.”

“No.”

The Duke firmly refused.

“I cannot send you to a dangerous place where we do not know the situation. Others will handle it soon, so wait, Aden.”

“But Carl is my brother. I want to help, even if just a little.”

In reality, Aden didn’t care much about Carl, but he pretended to be a loving, brotherly figure. If Carl died, it would mess up all his plans, which was bothersome.

The Duke’s eyes wavered at Aden’s act.

Aden continued, “There will be other search members with me, and I am confident in my ability to protect myself. This is neither recklessness nor arrogance.”

Aden picked up a small fruit knife from the tray on the study desk and infused it with mana.

Vwoooong.

The knife vibrated with the resonance of mana.

Seeing this, the Duke’s face showed surprise.

Although he had been informed by the servants of Aden’s sword resonance, seeing it with his own eyes was different.

“Father, I can at least take care of myself.”

Aden watched as the Duke fell silent, contemplating.

After a while, the Duke broke the silence.

“…Keep that promise, son.”

“Thank you for your permission.”

Aden smiled slightly. Rationally, the Duke should have rejected Aden’s request, but the agitation from Carl’s disappearance and the astonishment at Aden’s new skill had swayed his judgment.

‘Before joining the search, I need to visit someone.’

* * *

Before embarking on a mission, a mercenary always meticulously checked their armor, weapons, and emergency supplies.

Neglecting this could result in a fatal outcome.

Thus, preparing beforehand had been a habit for Aden since his past life.

Aden visited Cassie’s room, which doubled as her workshop.

Cassie greeted him with her usual languid expression.

“Welcome. I heard about your brother. What do you need?”

She was perceptive. She immediately knew Aden needed something from her. Aden handed her a note listing what he required.

“Give me these now.”

Cassie took the note and looked at the items listed.

“Hmm…”

She groaned with a complex expression. Cassie asked Aden cautiously.

“Are you going to hunt an ogre or something?”

“No, goblins. It’s a rescue mission.”

Her expression became even more perplexed.

Aden urged her, “Never mind that. Can you make them now or not?”

“It’s possible. Just wait a bit.”

She stopped asking questions about the absurd items Aden requested.

She pulled out several alchemical ingredients from her cabinet and quickly prepared what Aden needed.

“I wonder what our young master is up to this time.”

Aden ignored her curious smile and promptly left with the items.

* * *

Aden joined the second search party heading into the Monster Mountain. The party is comprised of knights, apprentice knights, and veteran soldiers capable of venturing deep into the mountain.

Aden, like the other knights and soldiers, equipped himself with protective gear and weapons.

“This is where the trail ends, Young Master.”

The deputy leader, Sir Spele, informed Aden. The area was a blood-soaked mess of trampled vegetation. Aden picked up a crude, blood-stained dagger from the ground.

“It’s a goblin-made weapon.”

“You know your weapons. Yes, it is.”

As he surveyed the area, Aden sensed something odd. It was evidently a fierce battleground, yet there were no corpses—neither human nor goblin.

‘Strange.’

Even if the goblins took the human bodies to eat, the absence of goblin corpses was unusual.

Goblins typically left their dead behind. It was unlikely the search team hadn’t killed at least one goblin. There should have been bodies left behind.

‘The entire situation is bizarre.’

Dozens of territory soldiers and a knight falling to goblins was odd. Moreover, goblins, with the intelligence of a five-year-old, erasing their tracks was implausible.

Aden reconstructed the events based on the scene.

‘First, Carl and the soldiers encountered a group of goblins.’

The footprints indicated that the soldiers initially engaged a small number of goblins with ease. This indicated the first group of goblins was small, around ten or so.

Then the tracks became chaotic, indicating a breakdown in formation and a confused battle.

‘A large number of goblins ambushed them.’

From all directions. Based on the footprints, there were about a hundred goblins. Less than

twenty men were too few to handle such numbers.

“When was the last regular hunt on this mountain?”

“About nine months ago.”

Goblins breed rapidly.

A single female can give birth to thirty to forty offspring a year, and males can impregnate females of other species to produce hybrids if no females are available.

They mature quickly, becoming full-grown goblins in three months. In nine months, the few surviving goblins from the last hunt would have repopulated significantly.

‘Even so, there are too many of them.’

Combining the initial bait group and the ambushers, there were about a hundred goblins.

Including the females and young that didn’t join the battle, there must have been over two hundred goblins in total.

While a goblin’s physical capabilities are comparable to a ten-year-old human, such numbers could easily overrun a small village.

‘This shouldn’t be possible.’

Despite their high reproductive rate, goblins haven’t taken over the world because most die before maturity due to predators, disease, or injury.

‘There’s only one explanation for this abnormal population growth.’

A powerful, highly intelligent higher goblin must be leading and controlling the goblin horde. Only under such leadership could they protect their young from predators, care for them, and learn new tactics.

Aden came to a realization.

‘Perhaps…’