The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 39

Aden found the person he had been keeping an eye on in the banquet hall.

‘A spearman who reached the level of a semi-master.’

Mastering the realm of Sword Aura and reaching the highest level brought one to the brink of the superhuman realm, the Sword Master.

It took a lot of time, effort, and luck to surpass this wall, so many stagnated at that level.

However, just experiencing the wall was an achievement in itself, and those of lower realms called them ‘semi-masters.’

The Sias Grand Duchy’s lineage possessed physical prowess several times superior to that of ordinary people.

So it wasn’t strange for someone around Aden’s age to have reached that level.

Dayer Sias was a knight with exceptional talent in spearmanship.

However, he was the second son, who, in the future, would be pushed out in the succession struggle with his elder brother, Sylbeta Sias, and meet his end.

‘Sylbeta’s greatest rival.’

At this time, Sylbeta had only been a Sword Master for a few years and was twenty-nine years old.

With his younger brother, nine years his junior, nearly catching up to him, Dayer was superior in terms of potential.

If he continued to hone his skills for a few more years, it wouldn’t be a dream for him to surpass Silveta.

Aden smiled and shook his hand.

“Greetings, spearman Dayer, protector of the empire from the northern cold.”

“Haha, no need for such formality. By the way, I saw your sparring with Taion earlier. Your skill and adaptability were truly impressive.”

There was a spark in Dayer’s eyes.

He gave a meaningful smile.

“Indeed, you have awakened Sword Aura in the shortest time and killed a High Troll, fitting of a noble.”

From his words, Aden realized that Dayer had been paying attention to him from the beginning.

He knew of Aden’s accomplishments in the Remes territory.

“It seems you know a lot about me?”

“I was just curious about the rumors. Taion talked about you.”

Come to think of it, he had been referring to Taion familiarly by name earlier.

“You seem to be close to Taion.”

“We’re friends. He’s a reliable guy, though his fiery temper and reckless behavior are, well, quite problematic.”

“But I just beat up your friend in front of everyone.”

“That’s his own fault. He deserved it. In fact, I feel much better because of you, noble.”

Dayer’s expression was genuinely refreshing.

Taion’s troublesome personality must have caused many issues.

It seemed Dayer had some pent-up frustrations with Taion.

Meanwhile, other noble youths murmured.

“Wow, Dayer Sias is being so friendly with Aden…”

“What on earth are they talking about…”

The Grand Duchy of Sias was known for its superior military cohesion and was comparable in power to the entire empire’s military.

As a known candidate for the next heir of such a duchy, Dayer Sias was the center of attention.

And now, this man approached Aden first to speak.

On top of defeating Taion, he even earned Dayer’s favor.

Those who had ignored Aden were now utterly confused.

Amidst their stares, Aden and Dayer shook hands.

“Please visit the north anytime you wish. You will be welcomed, Aden.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Dayer.”

Aden smiled naturally after parting ways with Dayer.

‘I didn’t expect him to approach me first.’

Aden had originally planned to approach him.

Since he was the rival of the traitor.

The Grand Duchy of Sias had a unique succession method.

Strong knights within the duchy competed, and the most outstanding knight became the new ruler.

However, given the superior physical conditions of the Sias bloodline, the succession practically stayed within the family.

Dayer Sias was one of those pushed out in the succession battle.

‘But until he was pushed out, he stood as an equal.’

He began to fall behind in the succession battle after this imperial banquet.

Among the victims of the terrorist attack was Dayer.

He injured his arm and had to spend time recuperating, during which he fell behind in the competition.

‘That future must be prevented.’

Dayer was a useful pawn for revenge.

He shouldn’t fall here; Aden planned to change his future.

He also intended to save as many others as possible.

The deaths of noble youths would cause great turmoil throughout the nation, creating a foundation for the Warlocks to thrive.

So, it was best to save as many people as possible.

Afterward, those who wanted to present gifts to the Crown Prince stepped forward one by one.

“A fine wine from Viscount Gilbert’s estate, Your Highness.”

“Congratulations on your birthday. Please accept this silk.”

Nobles with prepared gifts stepped forward in turn to present them.

Each time, the Crown Prince responded generously.

“I won’t forget your kindness. Thank you.”

Then, finally, a group with robes stepped forward.

They were magicians from the Tower of Anguis, sent as a delegation to visit the Crown Prince.

“The Sage’s Staff that subdues the unknown forest of the south, Anguis Mage Tower sends its greetings.”

They signaled their servants to bring something.

The servants of the magicians pushed a cart with a huge object into the hall.

The large rectangular object was covered with a cloth.

The representative of the Anguis delegation smiled broadly.

“We have prepared this, knowing that His Highness enjoys unique beasts.”

With a flourish!

He pulled the cloth to reveal the gift.

A beast was trapped inside a square iron cage.

“My, my goodness!”

The attendees’ faces turned pale.

Some noble youths screamed and fell over.

-Grrrr…

A low, savage growl resonated.

It had black fur and a mane like a lion, with fierce fangs.

Overall, it looked like a mix of a dog and a lion, a monster that seemed ready to break out of the cage at any moment.

But despite its imposing presence, the beast remained still.

A restrictive device with runes was fastened around its neck.

“A rare monster, Leonberger, that inhabits the depths of the unknown southern forest.”

The magician explained.

“It possesses anti-magic properties and, while inferior to a troll, has impressive regenerative abilities. It was captured with great difficulty by our Anguis Central Tower.”

The Central Tower’s magicians were all high-level magicians.

The fact that such people had to step in to capture it was proof of how dangerous this monster was.

The beast, easily over 5 meters tall, exuded an overwhelming presence just by looking at it.

Indeed, the Crown Prince’s face lit up more than ever.

His expression was completely different from when he received the other gifts.

“This is truly magnificent…”

The Crown Prince looked like a child who had received a toy.

Aden sensed the cruelty in that smile.

The Crown Prince was likely excited about which monster he would make this beast fight against from his collection.

-Grrrr…!

The Leonberger growled sharply.

The nobles looked at the monster with fearful eyes.

“Interesting.”

Only Aden smiled leisurely.

The Crown Prince was very pleased with the gift from Anguis and moved it to the building opposite the Crown Prince’s palace.

It was where the Crown Prince’s collection of monsters was gathered.

The Crown Prince’s hobby was quite serious, and he had even built a building near the palace to house and manage his collection.

The fact that such a building was built within the capital showed how influential the Crown Prince was.

‘Little did he know that this hobby would lead to tragedy.’

The Warlocks would destroy the building, mind-controlling the monsters to attack the banquet hall.

However, Aden had no intention of directly confronting or tracking down those Warlocks.

‘Because there’s someone else who will handle it.’

The next event at the banquet was dance time.

The magical lights in the hall dimmed softly.

Musicians began to play a dance tune.

A waltz, with a graceful melody layered over a steady rhythm.

Couples began to dance one by one.

Usually, the men would ask the ladies to dance first, but occasionally the women would approach first.

Ladies also approached Aden, asking for a dance.

Aden’s enhanced appearance, after undergoing physical reconstruction, made many women’s hearts flutter.

However, Aden politely declined their invitations.

He already had someone in mind to dance with.

He looked around at those who hadn’t yet chosen a partner.

Then his eyes met a young lady in a somewhat plain white dress.

She had brown hair and was pretty, though not particularly eye-catching—a common sight at any party.

She must have been the daughter of a lower noble family.

Despite this, Aden’s gaze lingered on her.

She also stared at Aden with an inexplicable look in her eyes.

Aden felt a strange attraction in that gaze.

He slowly approached her and politely extended his hand.

“I am Aden Remes, the eldest son of Duke Remes. Would you honor me with a dance, my lady?”

The young lady’s brown eyes curved gently as she smiled.

“I am Lucia Flora, from the Flora Barony.”

Lady Flora shyly placed her hand on Aden’s.

Meeting her gaze, focusing on her voice, feeling her presence, and overlapping their hands.

‘As expected.’

Aden was convinced.

‘Even though her face, hair color, and name are all different.’

Aden was certain.

The young lady in front of him was the person he had been looking for.

Although she looked different from her future self that he knew, Aden could recognize her.

He could see the true face beneath the innocent mask.

How could he not recognize her?

They had a persistent connection of life-and-death battles.

Aden smiled faintly and murmured her true name in his mind.

“Thank you, Lucia…”

Niketa.

“Lady Flora.”

Florence.

Niketa Florence.

The leader of the moderate faction of Warlocks, the Silver Witch.

The strongest and worst master-level Warlock was smiling demurely in front of him.

* * *

The queen of those who followed the darkness.

The silver witch who brought death.

The demon of the dirty bloodline left by the fallen kingdom.

These were all phrases that referred to her, the Silver Witch.

The last descendant of the Kingdom of Florence, a Warlock nation that existed in the distant past.

She was a Warlock powerful enough to be called the queen of the Warlocks.

She possessed power unmatched by any other Warlock.

She wasn’t just someone who made a high-level contract with Talos but also subjugated them.

She excelled not only in magical talent but also in swordsmanship.

She was the only Dark Magic Swordsman in the world, using both dark magic and swordsmanship.

The number of imperial knights who fell before her sword and dark magic was uncountable.

In his past life, Aden had almost died several times in battles against her.

They had exchanged countless deadly sword dances.

‘And now, we’re dancing, not fighting.’

Aden felt a strange sensation while waltzing with Niketa.

Step, and another turn, matching the rhythm of the music.

She looked at him with wide, surprised eyes.

“You’re quite skilled at dancing.”

Aden’s dance skills were surprisingly proficient, not matching his image as a troublemaker.

“…I’ve practiced a bit…”

In his previous life, he had danced poorly and stepped on the feet of the Great Mage Shaura multiple times.

After that, he had practiced dancing intensely, an experience he preferred to forget.

But he never had the chance to show off his efforts.

After the great war with Talos, he had no opportunity to dance.

Indeed, no one could predict how life would turn out.

She had used dark magic to alter her appearance, changing her facial features, eye, and hair color.

‘Lucia Flora… One of the identities she created?’

The objectives of Warlocks were all the same.

The fall of the empire and the restoration of the Warlock state.

Fortunately for the empire, she was the leader of the moderate faction, not the radical faction.

‘Is she here because of the upcoming terror?’

The Warlocks planning to terrorize the banquet hall were members of a radical faction called Chaos.

Considering the difficulty the empire had in identifying the terrorists early on, she must have intervened to conceal them.

It was clear that she took steps to eliminate or confuse them, as revealing the existence of the Warlocks’ forces would be premature for her.

If she failed to prevent the attack initially, she might not know exactly what they were planning, just that something was going to happen here.

She spoke with a genuinely curious expression.

“It might sound strange to say this on our first meeting, but I feel something special about you, noble.”

Aden responded a moment later to her sudden probing question.

“…Do you?”

From her words, Aden sensed that she had noticed something.

The presence of Curse within him.

That must have been why she looked at him intently at first.

Curse was a fragment of the soul and curse left by Demon Lord.

As a Warlock who dealt with dark energy and contracted with Talos, she must have felt a soul’s pull.

However, Aden had properly contained the dark energy, hiding it deep within his mana core.

She was likely uncertain and hesitating internally.

Aden spoke to her.

“That’s a coincidence. I felt the same way.”

“Oh, that makes me happy.”

She looked at Aden with a mysterious gaze while dancing.

Her eyes appeared innocent but were exploring Aden’s entire being.

After they finished the dance, Aden gave her a lazy smile.

“Would you mind moving to a different spot with me? I would like to have a private conversation.”

It was a scene that anyone would interpret as a noble youth hitting on a lady.

She shyly agreed, acting coy.

She was clearly trying to understand what Aden intended to do.

If Aden tried anything foolish, he might end his life here.

Aden led her to the terrace.

It was a spot favored by couples seeking a private moment, so it wasn’t particularly conspicuous.

They looked at the full moon in the night sky.

Aden gently spoke to her.

“The moon is bright.”

“Indeed.”

A quiet, calm atmosphere.

Anyone observing would think it was a sweet moment before a romantic rendezvous.

“But no matter how bright the moon is, darkness is everywhere, even at this moment.”

Aden turned to look at her.

Then he smiled brightly at her.

“Isn’t that right, Niketa Florence? Noble blood of Florence.”

As soon as Aden finished speaking, the expression vanished from her face.