The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 14

After sending Lowe away, almost as if chasing him out, Aden asked Cassie with a tired expression.

“But when do you plan to treat your chronic illness?”

She still had mana vein obstruction.

Because of that, she was still smoking Winter Lily tobacco to suppress the symptoms.

She took a puff of her cigarette and lazily answered the question.

“My mana vein obstruction is a bit unique.”

Lowe’s mana vein obstruction was considered very mild.

That’s why it could be cured so easily with just an injection.

But her mana vein obstruction had her mana vessels tangled up in a complex way.

Because of that, a single injection wouldn’t suffice.

It was necessary to thoroughly analyze the required dosage, the composition of the potion, and the precise spots to inject.

“So, it might take a bit of time?”

“You seem pretty relaxed for someone saying that.”

“Because it’s just a matter of research. And there’s no need to worry about running out of tobacco leaves. After all, it’s good to have a sponsor who’s got your back, right?”

Seeing her carefree attitude, it seemed like the problem would be resolved soon.

Therefore, Aden decided not to worry about it anymore.

Cassie handed Aden a bottle of dark blue potion.

“Here. The handsome young master requested it.”

“You’ve worked hard. Thank you.”

What she handed over was none other than a potion made from refining the heart of a troll, extracting only the mana.

—

Aden returned to his room and looked at the troll heart potion.

It was made from the heart obtained from the troll he had caught.

‘I never thought I’d catch a troll here, but it turned out well.’

The troll’s carcass was a valuable magic material.

Among them, the troll’s heart was particularly valuable.

The source of a troll’s regenerative power was the regenerative mana.

The troll’s heart, which contained this regenerative mana, was a good elixir in itself.

The advantage of the elixir was that it had a stable energy that could settle into the mana core.

Usually, mana was unstable and difficult to settle into the mana core, making its efficiency very low.

However, some monsters, like dragons, carried tamed mana within them, and its efficiency was high.

Such items containing tamed mana were called elixirs.

Undoubtedly, the troll’s heart was an expensive elixir.

Nevertheless, when Aden requested it, the Duke readily gave it to him.

Since Aden caught it, it was his right to handle it however he saw fit.

‘It’s really a good thing for me.’

Accepting Cassie, an alchemist, as a guest was also a wise decision.

Like most monsters, the troll’s heart contained toxicity.

Therefore, it needed to be refined by an alchemist or a herbalist.

Thanks to Cassie, the troll’s toxicity was removed, leaving only pure mana.

‘Regenerative mana.’

In his previous life as Aden Albireo, he also possessed regenerative mana.

In the past, he participated in a mission to subjugate a troll tribe that attacked a city.

And at that time, Aden witnessed it.

A high troll.

A monstrous being with unbelievable regenerative power that could reattach its severed head and be perfectly fine.

Aden’s mercenary comrades and soldiers who participated with him all died at its hands.

Aden, fighting alone to the end, eventually managed to kill it.

But as a result, Aden was slowly dying.

To survive, Aden instinctively tore open the troll’s chest, took out its heart, and ate it, ignoring the poison and everything else.

By sheer luck, Aden managed to obtain some of the high troll’s regenerative mana.

Thanks to that, Aden survived the ordeal with the help of regenerative mana, and later, a chance encounter with a priest who purified the poison saved his life.

‘Since that day, I’ve greatly benefited from the regenerative mana.’

With regenerative mana, Aden Albireo’s capacity to handle mana increased exponentially.

In other words, his vessel had grown larger.

This greatly contributed to his ability to settle the near-limitless mana of the dragon’s blood into his mana core later.

‘To gain regenerative mana again.’

This one was merely a fallen troll, a straggler from its pack.

But if he could fully absorb this troll’s mana, it would be a different story.

In the past, Aden could only absorb 5% of the mana from the high troll’s heart.

This was because he consumed the unrefined elixir raw.

With this troll’s mana, he could likely obtain more by fully absorbing it.

Pop.

Aden opened the potion.

He felt the thick regenerative mana of the troll.

‘There’s a limit to the mana I can absorb by drinking it.’

But what if the mana didn’t pass through the digestive system and entered the body directly?

Aden took out a syringe he had prepared beforehand.

He drew the potion into the syringe from the bottle.

Then, holding the syringe, he stabbed it into his own shoulder.

Precisely where his mana vessels were, he slowly pressed the plunger, injecting the potion.

Finally, he injected every last drop of the potion.

—

—

Aden sat cross-legged on the floor.

He began to circulate his mana throughout his body.

Aden smiled inwardly.

‘Yes, this is the feeling.’

A rough energy squirmed inside, following his mana vessels.

Absorbing mana was like waging a small battle within the body.

Aden’s mana clashed with the regenerative mana.

Aden’s mana drove the regenerative mana towards the mana core.

To the regenerative mana, that place was like a prison.

The regenerative mana struggled, refusing to submit.

It thrashed about violently, just like its original owner, the troll.

When it reached the threshold of the mana core, the regenerative mana made one final desperate struggle.

“Ugh.”

The thrashing caused pain throughout his entire body.

—

—

‘I will tear you apart.’

‘I will tear you to pieces and break free.’

‘I will never become your power.’

The regenerative mana raged as if shouting these things.

But within the pain, Aden…

Smirked.

To him, it was just a laughable struggle.

‘You are now my power. Shut up and calm down.’

In his previous life, Aden had broken through the reverse scale of a mad dragon and tamed an indescribable monstrous mana.

In terms of controlling internal mana, no one could surpass Aden.

Even in the body of the prodigal young master he now inhabited, this was the same.

Hiss.

Aden suppressed the regenerative mana with his formidable mana control.

Aden’s mana moved organically as if it were alive.

This mana battle affected not just the mana but also his body.

—

—

Aden was so focused on mana control that he didn’t notice the system message.

Crunch, crack.

Aden’s bones, muscles, organs, and every tissue in his body squirmed and reassembled.

As the process progressed, the regenerative mana’s intensity diminished.

The regenerative mana was pushed back and back.

Eventually…

Thunk-!

A heavy sensation like something had fallen into a deep abyss was felt.

The regenerative mana had been confined within the mana core.

—

—

Along with the successive system notifications…

Boom!

A dizzying shock as if something had exploded inside him came and went.

All the pain disappeared, and his body felt at peace.

“Huuu…!”

As Aden exhaled, a faint blue glow of mana mixed with his breath.

Flash.

When Aden opened his eyes, a blue light momentarily flashed in his pupils before gradually fading away.

—

—

The system notification informed Aden of his current physical condition.

Aden’s appearance had noticeably changed.

His height had increased by more than ten centimeters.

His body was now covered with sleek, well-defined muscles comparable to those of a veteran knight.

His broad shoulders and newly pristine skin, along with his shiny black hair, stood out.

Bodily reconstruction.

A phenomenon where every bone and muscle was reformed into the ideal shape for accepting mana.

Aden was startled when he belatedly realized the state of his body.

‘Bodily reconstruction…’

He felt it.

His vessel had become incomparably larger and stronger than before.

Aden hadn’t expected to undergo the rare process of bodily reconstruction while obtaining regenerative mana.

How had this been possible?

Aden pondered, and soon, the answer came to him.

‘The Forced Body Awakening Method.’

The process of consuming a hundred poisonous herbs that eliminated all impurities and weak tissues within the body, enhancing its potential.

This had laid the solid foundation for his physical growth, enabling him to reach the stage of bodily reconstruction.

Aden shivered at this realization and soon felt joy.

A bright smile spread across his lips.

“This is the first step.”

The first step towards revenge.

This fortunate occurrence of bodily reconstruction would mark the beginning of his quest for vengeance.

He would continue to grow stronger.

He would grow stronger and stronger until he could crush his enemies from above and drag them into the abyss.

In Aden’s black eyes, a mix of ecstasy and madness swirled.

However, his elation soon plummeted into despair.

– I like your determination.

“…!”

A voice from somewhere.

Aden’s whole body stiffened as goosebumps erupted all over his skin.

‘This voice… Could it be…?’

As soon as he heard the voice, he realized who it belonged to.

The creepy and sinister voice that remained engraved in his mind.

A voice he could never forget, even if he wanted to.

The voice of a detestable being he hated as much as the traitors.

Aden’s face contorted like a demon’s.

“Where are you!?”

He shouted into the empty air.

The calm rationality he usually maintained was nowhere to be found.

Aden, who had remained composed even in front of a troll, was now trembling slightly.

He shouted again, visibly agitated.

“Where are you…!”

But his shout only echoed in the quiet room.

Instead, his voice carried out of the room, and soon, there was a clatter of footsteps as Philip, the servant, came running.

“Young master! What’s happening? I’m coming in!”

Creak!

Philip opened the door to Aden’s room and…

“Young master! What…?”

He was at a loss for words and doubted his eyes.

Was this really the young master Aden?

Standing before him was a tall young man with striking features, much different from the original Aden.

The bodily reconstruction had altered his appearance and demeanor.

Swoosh.

Philip soon found himself staring into Aden’s cold, murderous black eyes…

Gulp.

The sheer killing intent emanating from Aden caused Philip to freeze on the spot, unable to move or even think of asking anything.

An eerie silence filled the room.

How long did that suffocating moment last, where a second felt like a day?

“…Leave.”

Aden broke the silence with a single word.

His eyes still gleamed with the fierce killing intent of a beast baring its fangs.

“Leave immediately, Philip. That’s an order.”

Overwhelmed by the intense pressure, Philip had many questions he wanted to ask.

But all he could do, dominated by fear, was comply.

With trembling hands, Philip quietly closed the door…

Click.

With the sound of the door closing…

Thud.

He collapsed on the spot.

As the tension left his body, his legs gave out.

“Haah! Haah…!”

Clutching his chest, he gasped for breath.

Since the moment he made eye contact with Aden, he felt as if he was completely dominated, unable to even breathe.

After a while, Philip mustered the strength in his trembling legs and fled as if running away.

—

Even after Philip left, Aden did not hear the voice again.

As he calmed his frayed nerves, his rationality slowly returned.

‘What’s going on…? A hallucination? No, I definitely heard it.’

Although the killing intent had dissipated, his eyes deepened.

It was undoubtedly his voice.

‘Demon Lord.’

The ruler of Talos and the master of the underground world.

The one who had dyed half the continent in blood.

The being who tried to seize Aden’s body through a curse, Demon Lord.