The Hero Becomes the Duke's Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest

Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 202

Hermit, who had transformed into her draconic form, appeared as though she had sustained a significant shock, her insides still convulsing intermittently as she continued to cough up dragon blood.

It was hard to believe that such a great being, also known as the Moderator of the Earthly Realm, would be in such a state.

"Aden! I brought the little priestess, just as you asked!"

"Aden Oppa! Why did you call me all of a sudden...? Kyaaa!"

He had urgently requested Hetos to bring the little saintess, Elise, and she was shocked to see Hermit in her true form.

"Elise, I know you have many questions, but can you start with the treatment?"

"...Alright!"

Without any complaints, Elise immediately summoned her holy power.

"Hoi-yat!"

With a peculiar exclamation, she stretched her hands upward.

Hwaaahhh!

Elise’s intense holy power erupted into a brilliant golden radiance.

The enormous body of the dragon, over hundreds of meters long, became enveloped in holy light.

The sight resembled a red mountain transforming into a burning golden hillside with flames surging over it.

A truly magnificent spectacle.

"Ooooh!"

"Beautiful, such a truly beautiful light!"

The dwarves, mesmerized by the holy power, began to calm down bit by bit.

Aden was astonished.

'What the hell? How much holy power does this crazy kid have?'

She had always been overflowing with holy power before, but it was never to this extent.

It was almost as if the Lord of the Sacred Fire himself had descended directly, filled with divine power.

< The Lord of the Sacred Fire says this is the power he had prepared in advance.>

The spark of the Sacred Fire, which the Lord of the Sacred Fire had left in the earthly realm as a fragment of himself, was what Elise had fully absorbed, enabling her to wield this divine power.

'What would happen if Elise unleashed holy martial arts with this holy power?'

The thought made Aden shiver.

This holy being had given a human far too much power.

Meanwhile, as Elise’s holy power infused Hermit’s body, her battered and exhausted frame rapidly began to heal and regain strength.

As a result:

- Uuugh...

Hermit, with a deep groan, opened her eyes—those of a massive red dragon.

A massive reptilian slit pupil stared at him.

-...Aden.

"Are you feeling better, Hermit?"

Paaah!

The body of the red dragon suddenly emitted light and rapidly shrank.

She reverted to the Hermit he knew.

Swaying.

Hermit, who had polymorphed into her human form, swayed as if she was about to collapse, and Aden supported her.

"Sorry, I’m a bit dizzy for a moment."

"Come on, what kind of dragon gets this weak?"

"Haha, how disgraceful of me..."

"What on earth happened?"

Aden got straight to the point, asking her directly, and Hermit’s expression darkened.

She shook her head.

"...Something ridiculous has happened."

The eyes of a dragon, who had nothing to fear in the world, showed fear.

What on earth could have made her wear such an expression?

"What could it possibly be...?"

"It’s difficult to explain everything in words right now. Let me show you instead."

Thud.

She placed her finger on Aden’s forehead.

Hermit uttered the language of dragons.

- I shall share with you fragments of memory.

Aden then felt his vision turn upside down in an instant.

'What is this...?'

It was a sensation similar to when the fragment of the Lord of the Sacred Fire had transmitted its memories to him.

Hermit was trying to transfer some memory to Aden’s mind through magic.

'Her memories?'

No, it was slightly different.

It was her memory, but not her memory.

'72nd Sword, Balak.'

It was the thought passed on by an item, which was akin to a part of Hermit herself, where her power as a Dragon Lord had been sealed.

An image began to form in his mind.

---

"The capture of the Imperial Palace is complete. The imperial family and the rebels have all been killed, and the rest have been bound to be used as sacrifices, boss."

"Hmm. Good job, Wagner."

In the grand audience chamber of the Imperial Palace.

The domed ceiling above the audience chamber had been punctured, allowing sunlight to flood in and brightly illuminate the interior of the chamber.

Thanks to that, everything was clearly visible—the line of people in black robes standing in formation, the person seated on the throne where the emperor should have been, and the audience chamber filled with corpses and a sea of blood.

The chamber had a geometric ritual formation drawn with wide strokes of blood...

'The 72 Demon Swords.'

Molech, Marbas, Amon, Paymon, Agares, Buers, Zepar...

At the center of that ritual formation, dozens of Demon Swords, including the 72nd Sword Balak, were piled together in a heap.

And Aden was seeing the scene before him from the perspective of Balak, lying among those swords.

"Shaura of the Inferno, how goes the establishment of the Imperial Capital’s barrier?"

"All preparations are complete. It can be activated at any time."

"That’s good to hear."

The blonde, golden-eyed youth, Kalsis, who was seated on the throne, smiled with satisfaction.

He then leisurely admired the ‘emperor’s head’ placed beside him.

"A variable has appeared that can threaten me, and that variable will devour me."

If so, there was only one answer.

He must devour the world before the enemy devours him.

"I didn’t want to resort to such a method since it could cause indigestion, but... well."

The emperor's head still wore an expression of terror, as if it had been seized by fear in its final moments.

"I originally didn’t intend to treat the Immortalia family so harshly, given our history, but I apologize. An unforeseen variable has arisen."

Kalsis patted the head like a parent praising their child.

No, in a way, it was an accurate description.

To him, the imperial family was like his offspring.

"I created them to be vessels for my power. They exist to be vessels for my immortality."

That’s why he had named them "Immortalia," imbued with the meaning of immortality.

"At the same time, they are farmers and shepherds. I am a predator who knows only how to devour. As such, I needed someone to raise the crops so that I wouldn’t starve."

Farmers to till the field that would become his sustenance, or shepherds to care for the flock.

The Immortalia family sprouted a seed called a clan, grew into a tree called a kingdom, and now, they had become a towering tree called an empire.

"The seed I planted has become a mighty tree called an empire and bore fruit, and the sheep have grown fat. So now, it is time to harvest the fruits and slaughter the fattened sheep."

With a sudden motion, he snatched the crown from the emperor’s head.

Thud.

Clatter...

The emperor’s head rolled across the floor from the impact.

Kalsis took his eyes off the head, as if he had no further business with the emperor.

He looked at the crown in his hand.

The crown, made of gold and adorned with lavish jewels, was truly a sight to behold.

Especially the large ruby set in the center—it was as if it had been formed from freshly spilled blood solidified into a jewel.

"Wagner, this crown actually has an interesting feature. What do you think it might be?"

"...What might it be?"

"It’s a control device that activates the ritual formation for life force devouring, which was inscribed in the underground of the Imperial Capital since its establishment."

"...That, that can’t be!"

Kalsis, apparently pleased with Wagner’s shocked reaction, shrugged and continued his explanation.

"It was designed so that only my bloodline, the Immortalia, could wield it. Of course, I made sure even the imperial family wouldn’t know about it."

He placed the crown on his own head.

The gesture was as natural as if it had always belonged to him.

For 500 years of the empire’s history, the crown had hidden its true purpose, but now, at this moment, it was about to awaken to fulfill its genuine role.

- As the wheat and fruit ripen, I am the plunderer who claims the blessings.

As he recited the incantation.

Fwaaat.

The crown began to glow.

Uuuung.

The floor vibrated faintly, and a purple light spread in all directions.

Kalsis looked at the crystal orb in his hand.

"I can see it clearly."

In the crystal orb, the entire Imperial Capital was reflected as if viewed from above.

The splendid and prosperous Imperial Capital, Immortalitium, was fully visible.

The icy, violet light emerging from the ground drew a precise geometric ritual formation visible from above, encompassing the entire capital.

---

- W-What is this?

- What is that light?

The citizens of the capital, who had been going about their business, suddenly noticed the light seeping from beneath their feet, leaving them bewildered.

But that bewilderment did not last long.

The ritual formation covering the entire capital began to drain the life force from everyone.

---

- Wh-What is happening to my body?

- Kyaaah!

Bewilderment turned to terror.

As their life force was drained, people’s bodies began to wither.

It was as if the power of gluttony was stealing their life force, just like Aden’s ability.

The life force devouring ritual began with those closest to the Imperial

 Palace.

---

- Aaaaah!

- Someone save me!

They screamed in agony as their life force drained away.

The screams spread across the entire capital in an instant, with the dying cries of hundreds of thousands of imperial citizens echoing out.

---

- Aaaaaargh!

The screams were not only heard through the crystal orb but also echoed within the palace itself.

Some imperial citizens attempted to flee the violet light of the ritual formation with all their might.

However, those who were eventually caught by the light turned into mummies in an instant, and only a few managed to escape.

Yet even those few who reached the outskirts of the capital could not escape death.

---

- What is this? We can’t get out!

- Help us, please...!

The mages who fled from the Central Tower of Anguis had established a barrier covering the entire capital, blocking their path.

The desperate people banged on the barrier with all their might, using hammers and swords to try and break through.

But no matter what means they tried, the barrier remained unscathed, and in the meantime, the violet wave of death reached them.

---

- Kyaaaagh!

- Guhhh!

The lives of hundreds of thousands in the imperial capital...

Shoooo!

...were all taken away and gathered in one place.

The grand audience chamber within the Imperial Palace, specifically, the bloody ritual formation drawn there and the heap of 72 Demon Swords.

Screeech!

Craaaack!

As an overwhelming amount of life force was poured in, the swords began to scream.

The Fallen Lords, whose thoughts were sealed within the swords, were engulfed in fear and despair.

Crack.

Even the 72nd Sword, Balak, began to crack all over.

Because of this, Aden’s vision also started to shatter like a glass window.

"Such immense life force! Ah, my patience and preparation over a thousand years have paid off! This will make it possible. It’s possible!"

As the swords, filled with life force, began to be gradually melted down and fused into one by the ritual formation, he exuded joy.

Crumble, crumble.

The vision shattered more and more.

In the world of shattering memories, Kalsis’s final cry, as a fragment of the Demon God, echoed.

"Finally, after a thousand years of waiting, the gates of hell will open!"

Craaaash!

As Balak shattered, the world of memories collapsed.

---

"Ugh!"

Aden gasped for breath.

"Haa, haa! Damn..."

The indirect shock from the sword’s destruction made Aden stagger for a moment.

"Kyaa! Aden Oppa!"

"Kid! What’s suddenly wrong with you?"

"Aden!"

Those around him were startled when Aden stumbled.

Even though the flow of the memory felt long, only 2-3 seconds had passed in reality.

However, Aden had no time to calm their concerns.

'What was that just now?'

Open the gates of hell?

-...

Curse was also at a loss for words, remaining silent.

"Damn it!"

Cursing, Aden took off running.

He quickly made his way into Hetos’s workshop.

Creak, clank!

Aden exited the underground city through the workshop door and emerged onto the surface.

He then looked up at the sky.

To be precise, at the sky in the direction of the Imperial Capital at the center of the continent.

"Damn..."

A pillar of black light was rising there.

Rumble, rumble.

Clouds gathered, and dark thunderclouds spread across the sky.

Aden recognized that sight.

He had already seen this phenomenon in his previous life.

"The erosion of the underground world..."

On the day when the underground world and the earthly realm connected, the world had literally turned into a realm of death as dark clouds blanketed the sky.

It was exactly the same as back then.

At that moment:

- Greetings, everyone. Thank you for always using our guild.

The voice of the Spirit Guild’s master echoed out.

It was the familiar announcement that always played whenever a new high-risk dungeon appeared.

The Hat Merchant’s dungeon occurrence notification was only broadcast to the areas affected by the dungeon’s influence.

- I am the owner of the Spirit Guild, the Hat Merchant.

- Today, we would like to announce the creation of a new dungeon.

The north heard it in Sias, the south heard it in the Great Forest, the east heard it in the Slaughter Tower, and the west heard it in the Dragon Mountains.

The southeast in Remes, the northeast in Sedus, the northwest in Ternian, and the southwest in Anguis all heard it.

The entire western continent heard the Hat Merchant’s voice.

In other words, the whole region was under the influence of this new dungeon.

- We hereby announce the creation of an apocalyptic dungeon, ‘Gate of Hell Tartarus,’ in the ‘Imperial Capital Immortalitium.’ For more detailed information, please use our guild’s services.

But, for some reason, the Hat Merchant, who usually would have ended his message there, added something extra this time.

- May you spend your final moments meaningfully.