The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 151

‘This is insane…’

The next day, Aden woke up recalling his conversation with the Slaughter God in his dream and was momentarily stunned.

Since his regression, he had prided himself on the belief that nothing could surprise him anymore.

But that belief had been shattered.

“A wastrel… me…?”

A sigh escaped his lips.

Wastrel noble, Aden Remes.

Aden had always regarded the previous owner of this body, the wastrel young lord, with disdain.

He was the epitome of a lazy and thoughtless noble offspring.

But the fact that this irresponsible young lord was actually himself, unaware of his memories before the regression, was a bitter pill to swallow.

– Kkk.

Curse, having heard roughly what had happened through Aden’s thoughts, let out a mocking laugh.

– So, in essence, your true nature is that of a wastrel?

“……”

– Kkkk! How amusing. The Dragon Slayer was actually a wastrel who lost a fight to a dog while drunk!

“Damn it, shut up.”

– You, who killed dragons! You, who lost a fight to a dog while drunk…! Khahahaha!

“…It seems like a perfect day to bathe in Holy Potion. Or maybe I’ll ask Elise to give me a massage with her holy power, as my body feels sore.”

– I have overstepped, Dragon Slayer. Please, spare me.

“Huff, be careful, okay?”

– I swear on the name of Under.

According to Curse, even he was unaware of such a shocking truth.

Since Curse had fully awakened his consciousness only after Aden had regained his past life memories, he too had believed that Aden had possessed the body of the Remes young lord.

Aden suspected that Curse might be lying, but seeing him laugh so hard as if he might cleanse himself from amusement suggested otherwise.

Having silenced Curse, Aden let out a sigh.

He then calmed his mind and began to organize his thoughts.

‘Whether I was that wastrel noble or not, it’s not really important.’

He had gained a new body, remembered the future, and recalled the betrayal of his comrades.

Even if he was the wastrel noble Aden Remes, as long as he retained these memories and feelings, he remained ‘Aden Albireo.’

Nothing had changed.

As Aden reaffirmed his resolve, Curse’s voice interrupted.

– By the way, Dragon Slayer. What is that mask?

“Huh? Mask…?”

Aden, puzzled, looked at the mask beside him and froze.

It was an object that hadn’t originally been in his bedroom, yet it seemed very familiar.

“Isn’t this the mask the Slaughter God wore?”

The mask resembled that of a horned monster, similar to an ogre. It was the very mask that the god of slaughter and death had worn.

‘Now that I think about it, he did say he would give me a gift.’

It seemed this was that gift.

– ‘Obtained the Mask of the Slaughter God.’

As Aden touched the mask, the system reacted.

– The proficiency of the sacred relic, ‘Sight of Fire,’ has increased.

– System permissions have been slightly expanded, allowing the viewing of item information.

Thanks to frequent use of the Sight of Fire, it was now possible to view brief information even if the item wasn’t bound.

[Mask of the Slaughter God]

A divine artifact worn by the transcendent being, the god of slaughter and death, for amusement. Due to the prolonged touch of her divine presence, it faintly contains divine power.

– The god of slaughter and death is a goddess who presides over madness, death, and slaughter. Those who wear this mask imbued with her divine power will gradually resemble her madness and strength.

– When worn, the ‘Blessing of the Slaughter God’ imbued in the mask can be partially used.

– Usable up to three times. If used more than three times, the equipment, ‘Mask of the Slaughter God,’ will be destroyed.

Indeed, it was the mask worn by the Slaughter God.

‘The blessing of the Slaughter God can be used?’

Aden’s eyes gleamed as he read the description.

The blessing of the Slaughter God referred to the authority to use Blood Heaven, a power that only the saints of the Slaughter Cult possessed.

He knew well the terrifying might and legend of Blood Heaven, which was said to have slaughtered countless people and even felled giants.

A faint smile appeared on Aden’s lips.

‘Being able to use Blood Heaven would be quite useful in many ways.’

Though it was a pity that it could only be used three times before being destroyed, a consumable item of this value was not unreasonable.

As Aden was satisfied with his reward, Curse spoke up again.

– Dragon Slayer, there is one more thing.

“What?”

– Look at the window.

“……”

Following Curse’s words, Aden saw another unfamiliar item near the window, just like the mask.

He stared at it in silence.

A small pot containing a single red flower was placed on the window sill.

– Wooaargh…

A small human face in the center of the red flower made a disturbing noise.

It was the same flower that had bloomed abundantly in the Slaughter God’s sanctuary, which she had called the ‘Man-faced Flower.’

– Wooargh…

“Hmmm…”

Aden racked his brain, trying to figure out how to react to the disturbing flower, doubting whether it could even be called a flower in the first place.

In the midst of his contemplation, the system notification popped up.

[Man-faced Flower]

A plant that naturally grows in the divine realm of the transcendent being, the god of slaughter and death. It blooms by drinking blood and grows by consuming evil spirits. Originally unable to exist in the earthly realm, it has been allowed to exist here under the protection of the Slaughter God.

“Give it one cup of blood every three days, and occasionally feed it a corrupt spirit to grow it well! It will bear quite useful fruits continuously! The more evil the spirit, the quicker and better the fruits will ripen, Aden dear!”

Along with the system’s explanation was an upbeat message from the Slaughter God.

Aden’s expression grew more complex as he read it.

“So, I’m supposed to raise this…?”

– Wooargh…

While the Man-faced Flower made noises like a senile old man mumbling, a fly buzzed near it.

As the fly approached, the flower opened its sharp, tooth-filled maw and devoured it.

Crunch, crunch, the sound of the Man-faced Flower chewing the fly filled the room.

Watching this, Aden and Curse fell into a deeper silence.

“……”

– …….

After a long silence, Aden finally made a remark.

“…At least it’s good at catching bugs.”

As a result of preventing the fall of a cult, he received a mask and a flower that didn’t seem like a flower at all.

* * *

In a dark, unknown place.

Several shadows clad in black robes gathered in a circle.

Their appearances were translucent, their faces obscured by darkness. They were not physically present but were manifested using dark magic.

These figures were the high-ranking members of the warlock faction, Chaos.

The shadow seated indifferently on the highest throne in their midst began to speak.

– We have failed, Estra.

A neutral, genderless voice.

But the voice, devoid of any emotion, was strangely chilling.

Unlike the six shadows standing upright, the shadow named Estra, kneeling in a subservient position with his head bowed, trembled.

-…I-I apologize, Boss.

The warlock leader, named Estra, did not dare to lift his head toward the leader of Chaos, ‘Boss.’

All the plans he had undertaken for the great work had ended in failure.

The leader of Chaos spoke in an even tone.

– The failure to bring down the Sacred Fire Order was inevitable. It was the mid-level officer under your command, Vice-Cult Leader Hakel, who acted independently and ruined things.

The failure to bring down the Sacred Fire Order.

– I could even forgive the failure of the plan to manipulate the Grand Duchy by controlling the Thunder Knight, Sylbeta Haimar, as a puppet. After all, we gathered all the necessary data from the ‘Blood Jewel’ and ‘Blood Knights’ projects.

The death of the Thunder Knight and the failure to turn the Grand Duchy into a puppet state.

Estra had already caused the organization to suffer twice.

– These two instances were considered with your loyalty and the circumstances in mind.

Even so, the leader had overlooked his mistakes.

But he had become an executive who lost trust within the organization.

Because of this, Estra had taken extreme measures to regain the lost trust of the Boss by executing the plan to bring down the Slaughter Cult.

– However, this recent failure is a completely different matter, Estra.

The result was a disastrous failure.

– Not only did you recklessly use the Sword of Slaughter, Lavolas, but you also failed to retrieve the 72 Swords. Although many priests of the Slaughter Cult perished, the most crucial members, the Saintess and the future Saintesses, are still intact.

The leader’s previously emotionless voice now carried a hint of disdain.

– Failing to bring down one of the three major holy orders is already a troublesome issue, but losing the precious 72 Swords is inexcusable.

Sensing the impending doom, Estra hurriedly pleaded with the leader.

– B-Boss! But please, hear me out! It was all because of the Duke Remes’ eldest son…!

– Silence.

The leader of Chaos delivered a cold verdict to the executive Estra.

– Treacherous Estra. You have served well until now. Rest forever.

Snap…!

The leader snapped his fingers, and a sudden change occurred.

Whoosh! Estra’s apparition burst into flames, self-igniting.

– Aaaah! Gaaah, aaagh!

Screaming in agony, Estra’s form convulsed and collapsed, eventually losing its human shape and completely burning away.

With a flash, Estra’s self-immolated spirit was entirely consumed by the flames, and the image of his place was abruptly cut off.

– One position has opened up.

Gulp.

The other executives, who had witnessed the entire scene, swallowed nervously or let out faint sneers.

In such an atmosphere, the leader of Chaos murmured quietly.

His shadow rested his chin in thought.

– However, Aden Remes… We must indeed take some measures against him.

Aden Remes of the Duke Remes family.

Originally just a naive noble offspring from the outskirts.

Yet, he had risen to the rank of the youngest Sword Master at an unprecedented speed.

Simultaneously, he had become a significant problem, as there were indications that he had recently interfered with or obstructed their great plans.

‘Originally, I planned to handle the pressing matters first and gradually eliminate him…’

The Silver Witch and her followers, the Flames of Florence.

The detestable and hateful descendants of that bloodline were growing faster than expected.

Recently, several secret branches, unknown to anyone, had been destroyed by them, cutting off all contact.

While their power itself wasn’t significant, the Silver Witch’s authority to absolutely subjugate the undead was inherently dangerous, making it difficult to act rashly.

For this reason, they couldn’t afford to divert their attention to a young noble from the outskirts.

But his strength had grown at an unexpectedly rapid pace.

There was no time to devise countermeasures or plans.

Though his growth speed was abnormal and grotesque, the Boss did not find it peculiar.

‘Could it be… a contractor of Gluttony…?’

The power to steal the essence of those he killed and make it his own, the authority of Gluttony.

With that power, even a mere noble offspring from the outskirts could become a master.

Frankly, even the Boss could not deny the allure of that power.

‘But it’s not something a human can handle.’

In ancient times, there was an entity known as the Lord of Gluttony, who devoured beings called ‘Lords’ and made their power his own, the most terrible existence in history.

Though only its spirit would remain, that cursed blade would still harbor the will of Baalzebul, the Lord of Gluttony.

Even the leader of Chaos did not have the confidence to overcome that will.

‘He must have been bewitched by Baalzebul and become his puppet.’

There was no way the feeble mind of a human could withstand the vicious spirit of that blade.

He might still be living as a human for now, but soon, his soul would be consumed by the will of Gluttony, leading to his downfall.

Thus, there was no need to act against him prematurely, but with the downfall of the two holy orders thwarted, it was difficult to leave any more potential threats unchecked.

– It seems we must take action. So, who will step forward?

No matter how inexperienced he might still be, the opponent was a human who had reached the superhuman realm, a master.

It wouldn’t be easy to deal with him using ordinary methods.

At that moment, one of the robed shadows raised their hand.
– Somora of Debauchery. Will you step forward?

The Chaos executive named Somora knelt respectfully before the leader and spoke.

– True master of all darkness. I shall dispose of the pest that troubles your heart.

A sinister smile spread across the shadow’s face.

– Aden Remes, I will bring you the head of that vermin.