The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 44

**Sacred Fire Order.**

The Sacred Fire Order was one of the three most prestigious holy churches on the continent, alongside the Slaughter Cult and the Law Church.

*’To be precise, it used to be prestigious.’*

Despite being called one of the three holy orders, the Sacred Fire Order had been in decline.

*’The Sacred Fire Order doesn’t have a Saint.’*

A Saint.

A chosen human blessed by the gods, whether it be a Saint or Saintess, acting as an intermediary and manifesting the will and power of the gods on earth.

Originally, each of the three holy orders was required to have a Saint.

However, due to an unexpected incident, the Sacred Fire Order had been without a Saint for over a decade.

A Saint was a symbol of the order, a bridge between the gods and humans.

Without a Saint, the divine power of the order weakened.

Over the years, the Sacred Fire Order had gradually diminished in size.

Currently, it held less than a fifth of its former power.

*’But it’s still one of the three holy churches.’*

Despite its decline, the Sacred Fire Order still retained its place among the three holy churches.

Its long historical legitimacy, its connections established throughout the empire over many years, and most importantly, its monopoly on alchemy, which allowed them to produce elixirs.

Aden arrived in Yulikan City, where the Sacred Fire Order’s headquarters was located.

Yulikan City had emerged as a hub due to the high priests and followers of the Sacred Fire Order, as well as the merchants who transported supplies for the order.

Geographically, Yulikan City was northeast of the capital, positioned between the Sias Grand Duchy and Sedus County, serving as a trade city.

“Thanks to you, we arrived faster than expected. Thank you, Pobol.”

“Haha! For you, my lord, this is nothing!”

Pobol Bartrum was still excellent at flattering.

Aden had planned to travel on horseback but reached Yulikan swiftly and comfortably thanks to the help of Pobol, the head of the Bartrum trading company.

The head merchant laughed heartily.

“You are one of our regular customers. Of course, I had to help. Besides, we benefited greatly from the troll carcasses.”

The troll carcasses that Aden had hunted.

Pobol, with his keen instincts, had not sold them immediately but preserved them with magic until recently.

When Aden’s exploits at the imperial palace became widely known, Pobol seized the opportunity and sold the first troll carcass as a display piece, earning a high profit. He also sold the other troll carcasses for a significant sum.

The Bartrum trading company had recently suffered losses due to monster attacks during their trade routes. Without those troll carcasses, the company would have been in serious trouble.

In other words, Aden was a benefactor of the trading company.

Moreover, as Aden Remes regularly purchased expensive poisons from them, they had every reason to treat him kindly.

Aden shook his head.

“Even so, your cooperation in disguising the Remes Knights as your staff was a great help.”

Aden glanced at the people dressed in the Bartrum trading company uniforms.

They were not actual employees but knights of the Remes Order.

He had brought fifty veteran knights who had reached the level of Sword Resonance.

All of them were able to come with the Duke’s permission.

*’I can’t send my son alone. If you’re going, take the Remes Knights with you!’*

The Duke had not stopped Aden.

As he had said when appointing Aden as a knight, he fully supported Aden’s decisions.

The humiliation of having the family’s guest kidnapped by the order had played a significant role.

However, openly traveling with military power would cause problems, so they disguised themselves as members of the trading company.

Pobol laughed heartily.

“Haha, my lord. I am a merchant. I always think about profit and loss. Investment is part of the process.”

He looked at Aden with a meaningful smile.

“And my instincts as a merchant tell me to serve you with utmost dedication.”

Aden chuckled at Pobol’s words.

*’As expected of Pobol Bartrum, the Golden Merchant. His instincts are sharp even at this time.’*

Pobol Bartrum was an ordinary mid-sized merchant at this time but would become a great merchant known as the Golden Merchant in the future.

Even when the world was on the brink of ruin during the Talos War, he survived and thrived.

People said he had a sixth sense that attracted money, beyond that of a mere merchant.

*’And now, that sense is reacting to me.’*

It was indeed interesting.

Building a good relationship with him would be very helpful in the future.

“I will make sure to repay your help this time.”

“Haha, it is just my sincerity towards you, my lord.”

When Aden finished his conversation with Pobol, Lowe, standing beside him, spoke with a worried expression.

“But Aden, is it really alright? The Sacred Fire Order’s headquarters is our opponent.”

Although it had declined, the name of the three holy orders had not disappeared.

Lowe couldn’t outright say it, but he thought it was too risky for their young master to confront the order.

Lowe thought to himself.

*’It’s certainly a foolish act from a rational perspective. But even so, to risk his life to save his subordinates.’*

Lowe’s respect for Aden deepened.

He resolved to give his life to help Aden if necessary.

However, Aden looked at Lowe with a scornful gaze.

“Are you crazy? Turn the entire order into an enemy? I’m not planning a war.”

“What?”

Lowe was dumbfounded by Aden’s scolding.

Aden clicked his tongue.

In truth, he wished to destroy all three holy orders.

But he knew his current limitations.

“So, you’re not planning to attack?”

“No, I will attack.”

“……?”

Lowe couldn’t understand Aden’s words.

Aden gave him a meaningful smile.

“I plan to ‘ring the bell.'”

* * *

Aden arrived in front of the massive temple at the Sacred Fire Order’s headquarters, located in the center of Yulikan.

The Remes Knights were stationed in a nearby building, ready to arm themselves at any moment.

The headquarters of the Sacred Fire Order was always open to the public for them to receive healing from the priests.

Since the head of the order had not changed yet, the order’s medical activities were still active and affordable.

Many people visited the temple to receive treatment from the high priests.

That should have been the case, but…

“No, why won’t you let us in!”

“My daughter is sick! Please let us in!”

The temple guards, called monks, blocked the entrance.

The monks were combat priests of the Sacred Fire Order, trained in martial arts.

People who had come for treatment pleaded, but the monks stood firm.

“The order is currently closed. Seek help from other orders if you need treatment.”

“It took us a month to get here! We don’t have time!”

Some had come from far away to receive treatment from the high priests.

“How dare you ignore the Viscount Bahalt family! Let go! Let go! You’ll regret this!”

Among them, some caused a ruckus and were thrown to the ground by the monks.

Even the empire’s nobles were not spared.

The monks, who had the audacity to kidnap the Duke’s guest, were not afraid of a viscount’s family.

Aden observed the situation.

The headquarters closed around the time Joseph and Elise were taken by the Inquisitors of the Sacred Fire Order?

There had to be a connection.

It felt like something big was happening that he didn’t know about.

Seeing the haughty attitude of the order, even towards nobles, the people began to disperse in despair.

At that moment, Aden stepped forward to the gatekeepers.

“The order is closed. Please leave…”

Before the monk could finish his usual speech, Aden cut him off by showing his family crest.

“I am Aden Remes, the eldest son of Duke Remes. I wish to enter.”

Seeing the crest of the Duke’s family, the monks’ expressions changed.

They looked troubled, unlike when they had harshly driven away others.

They showed a bit of courtesy.

“As I said, the order is currently closed to outsiders. Please come back later.”

“I need to see your leader immediately. Step aside.”

The person who had taken Joseph and Elise was an Inquisitor.

In matters related to heresy, the only person with the authority to decide their fate was the leader of the order.

To save them, he had to negotiate with the leader.

When Aden mentioned the leader, the monks’ expressions hardened.

They crossed their staffs in front of Aden.

“I have business inside.”

“No matter who you are, you cannot meet the leader without permission. Please leave.”

“I must enter.”

“Please leave.”

“I will enter.”

“I said leave!”

One of the monks grabbed Aden’s shoulder with a fierce expression.

Smack!

At that moment, Aden grabbed the monk’s wrist, spun around, and slammed him to the ground.

The large monk’s body was lifted off the ground.

With a thud, the monk hit the ground and lay there.

The remaining monk swung his iron staff at Aden.

Swish! Slash, slash!

Aden drew Baalzebul and cut the iron staff into three pieces with his Sword Aura.

He then swiftly moved behind the monk and struck the back of his neck with the flat of his sword.

“Ugh!”

The monk, caught off guard, collapsed on top of the other fallen monk.

Ignoring the fallen monks, Aden ran into the order’s grounds.

The monk who had been slammed by Aden shouted as he lay under the unconscious monk.

“Intruder! Catch him!”

Aden ignored the shout and ran in a certain direction.

There was a somewhat unconventional method to meet the leader.

*’I will ring the Bell of Lamentation.’*

The Bell of Lamentation was a large bell installed in the headquarters of the Sacred Fire Order.

Originally, the bell was meant to be rung by those who had suffered unjustly or had urgent medical needs but had no other recourse, to seek the leader’s help.

The one who rang the bell would have to meet the leader and receive their help.

This was the Sacred Fire Order’s law.

However, as many people had tried to use the bell to solve their problems, it was moved inside the order and guarded by priests to prevent anyone from ringing it.

Guarding a bell that was made to be rung?

It was the height of inefficiency, a wordplay if there ever was one.

They might as well destroy the bell and abolish the procedure.

But the Bell of Lamentation couldn’t be abolished due to the Sacred Fire Order’s laws.

Thus, the tradition of the bell remained.

*’In other words, if I ring the bell, I can meet the leader.’*

Hearing the monk’s shout, priests began to gather.

“The intruder is heading for the Bell of Lamentation!”

“Stop him immediately!”

Monks appeared from all directions, blocking Aden’s path.

They recited prayers.

“O Lord whose name cannot be uttered!”

“Grant us the strength to repel the enemy with the flames of the Sacred Fire!”

The monks gathered divine power.

The strength of the gods infused their robust bodies, giving them immense power.

The iron staffs, imbued with divine power, radiated a holy aura.

“Intruder, surrender peacefully!”

Aden charged at them without a word.

The monks swung their staffs.

Multiple iron staffs were swung and thrust at him from all directions.

Aden narrowly dodged their attacks.

The wind from their swings brushed past his ears.

*’They are certainly strong.’*

The heavy iron staffs were swung with brute strength and divine power.

Each monk had the strength of a swordsman skilled in Sword Resonance.

Fortunately, due to their doctrine of avoiding unnecessary bloodshed, they used staffs instead of blades. If they had used swords or spears, it would have been dangerous.

*Activating the Ring of Swiftness.*

Aden’s movements doubled in speed with the Ring of Swiftness.

Clang!

Aden parried a monk’s staff and closed in.

He infused mana into his foot and kicked the monk’s chin.

Then he moved along the paths that opened up momentarily.

The staff movements were like the whirlpools of a vortex.

Aden read the flow of the vortex and moved along the boundary lines like an experienced fisherman navigating a small boat through whirlpools.

Whoosh! Clang!

He deflected the thrusts with Baalzebul, diverting their attacks.

Having escaped the group of monks, Aden sped up.

“How… how did he!”

“Chase him immediately!”

The monks, having lost sight of Aden, pursued him.

Aden moved swiftly between the temple buildings towards a certain location.

*Activating the Ring of Swiftness.*
*Activating the Ring of Swiftness again…*

He used the Ring of Swiftness twice more to evade the pursuing priests and monks.

Then he saw a large bronze bell ahead.

It was the Bell of Lamentation.

He was almost there.

At that moment.

“…!”

Aden instinctively sensed danger and rolled to the side.

Boom!

A massive iron mace as thick as a pillar struck the spot where Aden had been.

“Haha! You dodged that? You’re quite agile.”

A deep voice accompanied by a shadow cast over Aden’s body.

For a moment, Aden was stunned.

Curse spoke to Aden in a serious, bewildered tone.

– Dragon Slayer King, is that really a human? Not an ogre?

Aden agreed with the question.

A bald giant standing 2.5 meters tall with bulging muscles.

The veins on his bald head were popping out.

With his massive chest muscles flexing, the muscular monster holding the mace looked more like an ogre than a human.

“Entering is easy, but leaving won’t be.”

He exhaled a hot breath and smiled with burning eyes.

“I am the highest monk of the Sacred Fire Order, Bali. I’ll be your opponent, intruder.”