The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 26

Duke Fried received reports of the troll invasion incident and, despite hearing news of victory, waited anxiously in the mansion.

He was overjoyed to see Carl and Aden return safely, but was shocked when he saw the corpse of the High Troll Shaman brought back.

Count Tiried Sedus had a conversation with the Duke in the room and then immediately returned to his territory. It seemed that the appearance of the troll legion worried him about his own domain.

“I have acquired a lot of good troll corpses.”

Twenty-four trolls had attacked the fortress. Thirty-six trolls were exterminated by Count Tiried. And there was one High Troll Shaman. Nearly sixty troll corpses had astronomical value.

Aden’s contributions and achievements were recognized by the support of the fortress soldiers, and half of those corpses, about thirty, went into Aden’s pocket.

“It’s unfortunate that I can’t absorb them with Baalzebul.”

Baalzebul’s power could only consume living creatures. It absorbed the essence of living beings, in other words, their life force. To extract mana from the corpses’ byproducts, they needed to be made into elixirs.

Aden decided to refine the blood and hearts from the troll corpses he obtained this time. That way, they could be stored safely and intact, whether he turned them into elixirs or not.

“Young master, I congratulate you on your return and victory. And I’m sorry I couldn’t be with you.”

Lowe knelt and apologized to Aden. He felt guilty for not being by his lord’s side during such a significant event.

“Enough. Stand up at once.”

Aden had a hard time comforting Lowe’s mental state. He regretted having made such a vow.

Anyway, Aden took Lowe and visited Cassie’s workshop to refine the troll corpses.

However, when Aden arrived at Cassie’s workshop, an unexpected situation unfolded.

“Ugh! Cough!”

“Cassie!”

Cassie was coughing up blood, and the startled Lowe hurriedly patted her back. It was a symptom of mana depletion syndrome. After a while, her coughing subsided, and she stopped spitting blood. Her complexion was very pale as she held a pipe in her mouth, inhaling winter smoke tobacco.

“Sigh. I showed you something unpleasant, handsome.”

“…You don’t look well.”

“This happens sometimes. The tobacco leaves suppress the illness, but they don’t cure it. Oh, I heard about the fortress. Congratulations on your victory.”

“Is this the time to talk about that? When will you get treated? Do you still have research left to do?”

“No, the research is finished.”

She laughed decadently as if she were hopeless. There was no strength in that laugh.

“And I found out that the treatment is impossible.”

Her mana depletion syndrome was severe. If Lowe’s syndrome was a 2 out of 10, hers was a 9. To treat her mana depletion syndrome, two things were urgently needed: an elixir with extreme fire attribute mana and a master alchemist who understood the human body’s structure completely.

“In my current situation, there’s no way I could get those things.”

Both the elixir and the alchemist were extremely rare, and it wasn’t a matter that money could solve.

She smiled.

“But I’m grateful to you, young master. Thank you.”

Thanks to Aden, she found the cure for mana depletion syndrome that she had desperately wanted, and because he accepted her as a guest of the Duke’s family, she could spend her remaining days comfortably. She had nothing more to wish for.

“Cassie….”

“Hehe, I also met a cute knight who worries about me.”

Lowe looked at Cassie with a heartbroken expression, but Cassie smiled leisurely at him instead. However, Aden’s expression remained cold and indifferent.

“What kind of extreme fire attribute mana are you talking about?”

Cassie answered reflexively to Aden’s question.

“Well, like the inner core of a fire dragon or the feather of a phoenix.”

Then she chuckled as if it was a joke even to her.

“That phoenix that only appears in fairy tales. Who in the world could bring a phoenix feather….”

“Is it this?”

Aden pulled out a phoenix feather from his coat.

“…What is that?”

“A phoenix feather.”

Clatter.

She dropped the pipe she was holding. Cassie’s gaze remained fixed on the phoenix feather in Aden’s hand. It was the first time she had seen such a shocked expression from her.

After stammering for a while, she took a deep breath and asked.

“H-How…?”

“The phoenix gave it to me.”

“….”

Cassie was speechless at Aden’s simple answer. It seemed she hadn’t heard about the phoenix.

She stared blankly at the phoenix feather for a long time. After a while, she finally collected herself and stammered.

“E-Even if you have a phoenix feather, finding a skilled alchemist….”

“I know someone. Don’t worry.”

It was about time to visit the man. He would be able to treat Cassie’s illness sufficiently. At Aden’s words, Cassie looked conflicted. At first, she seemed to think it was nonsense, questioning how he knew such a person. Then her face turned to one of confusion.

“Why… are you doing this for me, young master?”

She thought to herself. She was just an alchemist from the slums, better at alchemy than others, but not even human, a beast person. Aden had already gotten what he wanted, the treatment for Lowe’s arm. There was no need for him to go this far.

But Aden’s indifferent expression didn’t change.

“I still have a lot of work for you to do. It would be troublesome if you died already.”

Cassie had nothing to gain by betraying Aden. Thus, she was an alchemist he could rely on without worry.

“And you seem to be mistaken. I clearly told you.”

He had promised her protection and support, accepting her as a guest of the Duke’s family. This was the price Aden had offered her. And it meant he had brought her into his circle.

“Once I accept someone into my circle, I intend to take full responsibility for them. That’s all.”

This was Aden’s idea of a fair deal. His belief was that calculations in a deal should be precise.

Cassie looked stunned as she listened to Aden. She seemed to have been hit hard.

But then…

“Pfft. Hahaha.”

She burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! You’re really something, young master. Hahaha!”

From the first meeting, Aden had solved all the problems that made her agonize and give up one by one. She found it incredibly amusing. It had been years since she laughed so heartily.

After laughing for a while, she wiped the tears from her eyes and said.

“Haha… thank you, young master.”

“It means I’ll be working you to the bone.”

Then she looked at Aden. Her face was pale, but her eyes were full of life.

“If it means extending my life, then by all means, work me to the bone for 10 or even 100 years.”

Aden chuckled at her response.

“I’ll remember that.”

—

“…My son has achieved an incredible feat.”

Duke Fried murmured in his office. Aden had successfully led the defense of Attila Fortress and defeated the leader of the trolls. He also negotiated with the orcs, transforming them into forces that would protect the fortress. Achieving just one of these would be impressive, but he had accomplished three.

As a lord leading his territory, he felt he needed to reward his son for these feats.

“Hmm, what would be a good reward….”

The Duke pondered.

Money? He could give that at any time. Fine liquor? His son had given up drinking long ago. The scale of this achievement was too great for such rewards.

Knock, knock.

As the Duke was deep in thought, someone knocked and entered. It was Carl.

“Carl, what brings you here?”

“I came to ask a favor regarding my brother.”

Carl’s expression was different from the night he had been drinking and brooding. His eyes were steady, as if he had made a resolution. What Carl suggested next made the Duke’s eyes widen.

—

The next day, Aden informed Duke Fried that he was going outside the territory.

“So, you want to leave the territory alone to bring someone who can treat your alchemist?”

“Yes.”

“And you have to meet that person alone to recruit them?”

“Yes, father.”

As long as he held the status of a noble, he needed his father’s permission. He was sure his overly protective father would vehemently refuse, but Aden planned to sneak out if that happened.

‘I must meet him now, or it will be too late.’

The person Aden planned to visit was essential. Missing the right timing would be problematic.

“….”

But Duke Fried remained silent with a complex expression. He showed no sign of stopping him, just quietly contemplating. As the silence dragged on, Aden called out to him.

“Father?”

“…I always wanted you to live as you wished.”

Suddenly, he began a seemingly unrelated story. Duke Fried sighed and leaned back in his chair.

“The previous head… your grandfather always said, ‘Be the best. Shed the disgrace of being a declining frontier family and lead it.'”

The previous head had great ambitions but lacked the ability to realize them. He forced his dreams onto his eldest son, Fried. However, Duke Fried grew weary of his father’s excessive expectations and the repeated disappointments, as well as the pressure of being the eldest son.

Maybe that’s why he became a civil official in the martial Remes family. He married a baron’s daughter he fell in love with instead of the fiancée his father had chosen, and they had Aden and Carl.

“When I held you as a newborn, I thought that I hoped you could avoid the burdens of being the eldest son

.”

So he tried to grant Aden’s wishes and never forced anything on him. Fried knew his son was becoming a delinquent. Still, he couldn’t bring himself to demand anything from him, fearing the shadow of his father’s expectations.

As a result, he could only watch as his son grew into an incorrigible delinquent. With a somber expression, he looked at Aden and smiled.

“But it seems my worries were unfounded.”

Aden had personally rescued his brother in danger, united the soldiers to defend the territory, and now intended to leave to protect his people. His son had become a capable leader.

“You’ve grown splendidly, my son.”

Aden looked at Duke Fried, unable to say anything. He had always thought of him as a foolish father of a wayward noble son. He had never expected such a backstory.

Duke Fried donned a serious expression.

“Aden, kneel.”

Aden did as he was told, kneeling and bowing his head. Duke Fried drew the sword hanging on the wall and placed it on Aden’s right shoulder.

“I, Fried Remes, by the authority of the 21st head of the Remes family…”

He took a deep breath and continued.

“Hereby appoint my eldest son, Aden Remes, as a knight of the Remes Order.”

Aden was startled. The Duke had just appointed him as a knight of the Duke’s family. For the current head to personally appoint his eldest son as a knight had significant meaning. It was a declaration that Aden was the candidate for the next head of the family.

“What are you doing?”

Aden looked up at the Duke, who was smiling.

“This is the ‘reward’ for saving the territory.”

Aden’s face twisted in displeasure. He had no desire for such a reward. He searched for an excuse.

“Thank you, but I can’t accept this without Carl’s consent….”

“Carl came to me first and suggested it. He asked if I could make his brother a knight.”

“….”

Carl Remes, you too!

Aden was dumbfounded. He couldn’t understand what had possessed his brother to make such a suggestion. By appointing Aden as a knight, Carl would be one step behind in the succession line. Why would he give that up…?

Suddenly, a thought crossed Aden’s mind.

‘Could it be that he sees no hope in this territory?’

A region infested with monsters and lacking any political influence. Carl had experienced the danger firsthand during the Attila Fortress incident. Maybe he was scared and wanted to hand it over.

Duke Fried spoke.

“If anything happens, mention the family’s name. I’ll support you with all my might.”

With this, Aden was now marked as the family’s future successor.

—

Aden prepared to leave the next morning. He realized that gaining the knight title wasn’t entirely bad.

‘At first, I planned to leave and sever ties.’

But the benefits of being the eldest son of the Duke’s family were significant. Money and status were useful in many ways.

‘It wouldn’t be so bad to stay a little longer.’

As the young master of the frontier Duke’s family, Aden Remes.

Although the household planned to see him off in the morning, Aden found it uncomfortable and wanted to leave quietly.

Aden was now dressed in high-quality but unremarkable leather armor, similar to that of a regular mercenary. He didn’t want to stand out by wearing the armor of a knight.

Thus, Aden felt comfortable and nostalgic in this outfit.

-It’s amusing that the Mercenary King’s disciple has become a knight. Aden Albireo.

Unexpectedly, the Demon Lord’s voice spoke again, surprising Aden.

“…You can still talk?”

-A short conversation each day seems possible. As you grow stronger, it will become longer.

“That’s bothersome.”

Aden clicked his tongue. But what could he do? He couldn’t abandon the cursed sword or remove the Demon Stone from his body, which would be fatal.

-You’re too harsh. After all, I am your lifesaver.

“You speak well for a curse.”

Aden snorted but didn’t deny it. Thanks to this entity, he had been able to return to the past and had the chance for revenge.

At least for that, he was grateful.

“By the way, what should I call you? You’re not the Demon Lord himself. I can’t just keep calling you ‘thing.'”

-I have no title, nor does it matter. Call me as you wish.

“Hmm, then I’ll call you Curse.”

-…Isn’t that too arbitrary?

“Quiet.”

Aden bickered with the voice, looking like a madman to anyone watching.

And so, leaving behind the dawn of the early morning, Aden departed from the Remes family mansion.