The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 42

The incident at the Imperial Banquet Hall was successfully resolved.

Shortly after Dayer and Aden defeated Leonberger, the main palace guards arrived.

With their cooperation with the royal knights of the Crown Prince’s palace, the situation was quickly brought under control.

All the monsters were swiftly killed. Although there were many seriously and lightly injured people, miraculously, there were no fatalities.

The Crown Prince promised the attendees future compensation and ended the banquet.

A day had passed since that night at the Imperial Banquet Hall, and it was now daytime.

Aden frowned as he massaged his arms and legs.

“Ah, damn it. My whole body aches.”

-Keuk, you sound like an old man.

“Shut up.”

Aden was resting, sprawled on his bed in the mansion.

He clicked his tongue.

‘The berserk ability is tougher than I thought.’

When the shield’s effect wore off, a sense of fatigue pressed down on his whole body, making it hard to move.

Even now, he felt soreness throughout his entire body.

Thanks to the mana of regeneration, it ended with muscle pain. Without it, he would have been bedridden for a week.

“Well, everything went according to plan.”

He achieved his primary goal of forming relationships with key figures, and his secondary goal of helping Dayer Sias, thus earning his gratitude, was also successful.

After capturing Leonberger, Dayer repeatedly expressed his gratitude to Aden.

“If it weren’t for you, young master, I would have been in serious trouble. Aden, you are my savior.”

In his previous life, Dayer Sias had lost an arm.

However, in this life, he ended up with only minor injuries, so there would be no downfall for him.

Instead, having fought alongside the royal knights, he became a hero of the banquet hall.

Sylbeta must have been infuriated.

‘Niketa handled the dark magicians on her own.’

The palace urgently investigated who had destroyed the monster containment facility.

However, despite the cooperation of the Magic Tower’s wizards, no traces or energy could be found.

Niketa must have erased all traces and energy left by the dark magicians and disrupted the investigation.

Her concealment skills were outstanding.

Since the culprit could not be identified, the royal family decided to highlight the heroes of the incident to avoid blame.

Thus, they began spreading the stories of the three heroes with all their might.

The son of the guardian of the northeast, Taion Sedus.

The semi-master of the Sias Grand Duchy, Dayer Syres.

And the eldest son of the Remes Duchy, the new semi-master, Aden Remes.

While the first two were expected, many were surprised to see Aden, previously thought to be a wastrel, demonstrating the power of a semi-master.

Those who had looked down on Aden began to take notice.

The three heroes’ tale, although somewhat childish, captivated people’s hearts.

Within days, the rumor would spread throughout the capital.

‘Well, it was achieved with a bit of showmanship.’

Aden’s actual level was only at the mid-level of Sword Aura.

But he didn’t bother to correct it.

With enough mana accumulation, reaching the level of a semi-master was always within reach.

Curse asked Aden.

-But are you okay with not receiving a medal?

“What would I do with that? It’s not an artifact or an elixir.”

-Keuk, you have a point.

The Crown Prince intended to award Aden a medal.

Aden’s defense against Leonberger’s attack and his use of the Aura Thread was astonishing.

Even though it was Dayer who actually killed Leonberger.

However, Aden declined.

It was too soon for such grand recognition.

While spreading fame through rumors was acceptable, receiving formal recognition would bring too much attention.

Aden preferred to avoid such nuisances.

Moreover, receiving a medal meant staying in the capital for an extended period, which Aden could not afford.

“Instead, I received ample compensation.”

He had received about 50 million gold as a reward.

This amount was enough to buy several large mansions.

-You are materialistic.

“What do you expect from a mercenary by nature?”

For a mercenary, the best reward was money, and cash was even better.

Aden could still picture the Crown Prince’s awkward expression when he requested money instead of a medal.

Aden smiled contentedly as he looked at the item in his hand.

“They even gave me this. The royal family is still the royal family.”

In Aden’s hand was a piece of Leonberger’s black fur.

The Crown Prince had given it to him as compensation, deeming it unfitting to give just money.

The fur was so tough and durable that it could deflect attacks not infused with Sword Aura.

It retained its original regeneration ability and slight anti-magic properties.

The anti-magic property significantly reduced the power of lower-tier spells, and its regeneration ability allowed the fur to repair itself over time if damaged.

If made into leather armor, it would be strong enough to withstand magic, making it indestructible.

There couldn’t be a better material for armor.

It was a gift that delighted Aden.

‘I need to find a good leather craftsman later.’

Knock, knock.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

“Young master, excuse me for a moment.”

“Come in.”

The mansion’s butler entered, showing respect to Aden.

After hearing about Aden’s achievements at the Imperial Banquet, the mansion’s servants had become more favorable towards him.

Aden asked the butler.

“What brings you here?”

The butler looked troubled as he answered.

“Well, two guests have come to see you. I have escorted them to the drawing room…”

“Guests?”

‘Did I have any guests? And two at that.’

Puzzled, Aden followed the butler to the drawing room.

There, a completely unexpected pair of a man and woman awaited him.

The man sitting on the sofa with his arms crossed and a sullen expression jumped up and pointed at Aden.

“Aden Remes…!”

It was the young lord of the border, Taion Sedus.

The woman sitting on the other sofa set down her teacup and smiled softly.

“You’re here, Lord Remes.”

It was Niketa, the head of the dark magicians, using the alias Lucia.

‘Oh dear…’

Aden sighed inwardly.

One troublesome person was already tiring enough, but now both had come at the same time.

* * *

Aden looked at Taion with a weary expression and asked him.

“So, have you come to spar again? Betting your treasured sword?”

If that was the case, it would be a waste of his time.

Just as Aden was thinking of chasing him out, Taion shook his head with an unexpected response.

“No, the owner of that sword is you. Though it’s frustrating… Aden Remes, you deserve the heirloom.”

To give up the sword so easily was surprising.

‘Did he see me using the Aura Thread?’

Taion must have been overwhelmed by the semi-master’s power Aden displayed.

Taion Sedus was a high-level Sword Aura practitioner on the brink of becoming a semi-master.

He must have realized how impressive Aden’s martial prowess was.

With a somewhat dissatisfied expression, Taion suddenly looked resolute and bowed his head.

“And… I want to express my gratitude.”

Gratitude?

Aden didn’t understand what he was saying.

“If you hadn’t saved Dayer, I would have lost my only friend at that moment. I want to thank you for that.”

Taion’s eyes were utterly sincere.

It seemed Dayer was quite precious to him.

His only friend, indeed…

It appeared that no one but the mature Dayer could handle Taion’s fiery personality.

“Aden Remes, you are not only Dayer’s savior but mine as well. I acknowledge that you deserve the heirloom.”

Aden showed a subtle expression at Taion’s words.

Then he lightly teased Taion.

“I don’t know if I should feel honored by your acknowledgment.”

In response, Taion proudly puffed out his chest and exclaimed.

“Feel proud! You are a strong warrior recognized by me!”

“….”

He was so confident that it was hard to mock him further.

Taion looked at Aden with a satisfied smile.

But then, he fixed his gaze and declared with a burning intensity.

“However! Acknowledging your worth and actually giving it up are two different things! I will train and train again until I eventually defeat you! Then I will take back the heirloom! Aden Remes!”

“…Alright, do your best.”

Then Taion left abruptly, as if he had said everything he wanted to say.

It felt like a storm had just passed.

Now, only Aden and Niketa remained in the drawing room.

“Fufu, Taion Sedus is quite an amusing person.”

Niketa chuckled softly.

It wasn’t just an act; she genuinely seemed to find it amusing.

“…I don’t know if it’s amusing.”

Now that Taion was gone, it was time to talk with Niketa.

He had told her they would talk again before parting ways.

But he hadn’t expected her to come the very next day.

Aden asked her the most pressing question.

“By the way, how did you get in here?”

While Taion Sedus was the eldest son of the famous Sedus family, the servants wouldn’t have known who she was, as she was using the alias of a nameless baroness.

He wondered if she had used dark magic to charm her way in.

She took a sip of tea and smiled innocently.

“I told them I had a deep conversation with you while gazing at the moon and promised to meet again.”

…He could imagine what kind of misunderstandings that might have caused.

No wonder the butler’s reaction was strange.

It seemed his infamous reputation had gained another line.

Well, it didn’t matter to him.

Aden frowned slightly and asked her.

“Now that we’re alone, stop pretending.”

Her innocent expression, as if saying, ‘I don’t know anything. Hehe,’ was annoyingly perfect.

“You’re right.”

Agreeing with him, she set her teacup down.

Snap!

She snapped her fingers, producing a sound.

Aden sensed a barrier separating the inside and outside of the room.

She had instantly cast a soundproof barrier without chanting.

It was a skill that ordinary dark magicians couldn’t show without complex preparations.

Her eyes were now sharp and cold.

The innocent expression was gone, replaced by a slightly twisted sneer.

“Just in case.”

Soon, the dark magic energy around her began to swirl, and her appearance started to change.

She undid the dark magic used for her disguise.

Her brown hair transformed into a cascade of silver.

Her eyes turned a serene blue like a tranquil lake.

Her facial features gradually changed.

The previously plain face turned into a doll-like beauty.

Her delicate beauty was almost pitiful.

However, her demeanor exuded the dignity of a leader and the elegance of the last lineage of a fallen kingdom.

This was the true form of Niketa Florence, the queen of the dark magicians.

Aden smiled and asked her.

“Is it okay to reveal your true face?”

“Hah, since you already know my identity, staying in a different guise is just silly.”

Her sarcastic voice was clear and subtly sharp.

There was still a hint of wariness towards Aden.

But then, she furrowed her brows and wore a subtle expression.

“…Why are you smiling?”

“Oh, sorry, it’s nothing.”

Aden had been smiling unconsciously at Niketa’s face.

It seemed he had grown quite fond of her in their past life, fighting life and death battles.

As he felt with Lowe, seeing someone’s face again after thinking you’d never see them again brought a certain joy.

Even if that person had ended as an enemy.

“Aden Remes. I have many questions, but first, I’ll ask you one.”

When Aden wiped away his smile, she regained her composure and hardened her expression.

Her face was now the coldest it had ever been.

A natural pressure emanated from her as she stared at Aden, asking sincerely.

“What is your connection to Chaos?”

That was way off the mark.