The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 46

Aden had intended to meet with the cult leader, but this development posed a bit of a problem.

The reason Aden wanted to negotiate directly with the cult leader was that it was the best solution, and because the current cult leader, Kertel, was a reasonable person.

He wasn’t the type to ignore the plight of the wronged.

Therefore, if Aden could meet and talk with him, there was a good chance of rescuing Joseph and Elise.

However, not being able to meet the cult leader was unexpected.

The order revered their laws as sacred, so they wouldn’t handle things in this manner unless it was a serious matter.

Something must have happened to the cult leader.

‘I don’t understand, it should be at least three years before anything changes for that old man.’

Nonetheless, he was curious.

Who would be the highest authority in place of the cult leader?

The vice-leader was traveling with him, so he was out.

‘Is there anyone higher than the vice-leader besides the cult leader?’

While Aden was thinking this, the monks pushed open the large stone gate.

Kugugugung.

The door moved slowly with a grand sound.

Aden’s eyes deepened.

Utduk.

Aden clenched his fist tightly.

‘Inside here is the representative of the order…!’

Even though it wasn’t the cult leader, Aden didn’t change his plan.

He vowed to himself that he would bring Joseph and Elise, no matter who came out.

‘If necessary, I can negotiate with Niketa for help.’

If he received help from her to subtly pressure the order, it would be possible, though it might take some time.

Finally, the door opened completely.

Inside was a tastefully decorated and elegant audience chamber.

Waiting there were several people…

“Ah! Aden oppa!”

With cookie crumbs around her mouth, Elise was dressed in the sacred robe symbolizing the saint of the order…

“Y-young Master! How did you get here?”

Next to her, Joseph looked at Aden in shock.

The vice-leader solemnly declared.

“Behold the holy presence of our order, the maiden of sacred fire, the divine representative, Saint Elise!”

“Behold the Saint!”

“Behold the Saint!”

The priests and monks, overwhelmed with emotion at the sight of Elise, prostrated themselves on the stone floor.

“…”

Aden was speechless, his mouth agape in astonishment.

Curse spoke in an amused voice.

-Hoho, things are getting interesting.

Damn, interesting my ass.

Aden stopped thinking.

—

Aden and Joseph sat side by side at a table.

Elise, temporarily escorted by trustworthy monks, had moved elsewhere.

“…”

“…”

A subtle silence hung between Aden and Joseph.

Aden glared silently at Joseph.

Under the intense gaze, Joseph began to sweat profusely.

After a long silence, Aden finally spoke.

“I’d appreciate it if you could explain what’s going on?”

Aden’s eyes were cold as he asked Joseph.

Aden had stormed into the order to save Joseph and Elise.

However, upon arrival, instead of finding them in a cold prison, they were leisurely having refreshments in a sunlit hall.

They were being treated with respect as the saint and her father.

What a farce this was.

Eventually, Joseph sighed after a moment of hesitation.

“Haha… I’ll explain everything. But first… let me reintroduce myself.”

Joseph placed his hand on his chest and revealed his status within the order.

“I am Joseph, a former member of the Seven Star Council serving the master of sacred fire, my lord.”

“…!”

Aden’s eyes widened in surprise at Joseph’s words.

-Hmm, Dragon Slayer. What is the Seven Star Council? Is it important?

It is.

The Seven Star Council is the core institution of the Sacred Fire Order, consisting of the seven greatest alchemists of the time who practice and research alchemy.

They hold power just below the cult leader and vice-leader.

While Aden knew Joseph was skilled, he hadn’t expected him to be a member of the Seven Star Council.

“It’s all in the past. I’ve been absent for so long that the later members have taken my place.”

Joseph scratched his cheek awkwardly after saying this.

Aden, still incredulous, couldn’t help but ask.

“How could someone of such stature live in the underworld like that, especially with your young daughter?”

If the cult leader was the emperor of the empire, the vice-leader was the chancellor, and the Seven Star Council were the elders of the council.

It made no sense for someone of such high rank to live in the back alleys of Makellan City, struggling for survival.

Joseph paused to gather his thoughts before answering.

“Do you know how our order’s leadership succession works?”

“Of course.”

The Sacred Fire Order’s next leader is chosen from among the saints or holy maidens.

Saints and holy maidens serve their sacred duties for forty years.

After that, according to divine law, their sacred status is returned, and they ascend to the position of cult leader.

Then new saint candidates are born somewhere.

“Those born with ‘holy marks’ become candidates for sainthood.”

However, ten years ago, the order faced a great disaster.

It was the ‘Holy Mark Hunter’ incident.

Those with holy marks started to die mysteriously, one by one, from those about to undergo the coming-of-age ceremony to infants.

Joseph’s expression was grim.

“And my daughter Elise was born with a holy mark.”

When Elise was born, it was during the peak of the mysterious deaths of those with holy marks.

Terrified, Joseph quietly fled the order to protect his daughter.

They disappeared into the shadows, ensuring no one could find them.

Looking back at the past, Joseph’s expression was filled with regret.

“Thus, I’ve been raising Elise in secret for ten years.”

He knew well the chaos that would ensue in the order after losing all the holy mark bearers.

But he had no choice.

His child’s safety was more important than the order.

He thought he had been forgotten by the order.

“…But recently, another calamity occurred.”

“Another calamity?”

When Aden asked, Joseph hesitated for a moment before speaking with a sad expression.

“…The cult leader fell into a coma due to an unknown illness.”

“An illness?”

“Yes. He lost consciousness and hasn’t woken up since. They tried every possible treatment, but he didn’t recover.”

They couldn’t identify the cause or cure for the illness.

The cult leader’s condition continued to worsen, and he was on the brink of death.

They barely managed to slow the progression of the illness using the order’s medical skills and divine techniques, but it wasn’t enough.

The remaining priests reached a desperate conclusion.

-Only the holy power of a saint or saintess could miraculously heal him.

They couldn’t seek help from other religious groups.

The saintess of the God of Massacre’s church was unsuitable due to her holy power’s aggressive nature, and the Sacred Law Church was a competitor of the Sacred Fire Order, so asking them for help was impossible.

Revealing the cult leader’s condition would only make the Sacred Law Church seize the opportunity to expose their hidden claws.

Despairing, the order discovered a fact while investigating past records.

There was one child in the ‘Holy Mark Hunter’ incident who was reported missing, not dead.

Since the incident ten years ago, no new holy mark bearers had been born.

This meant there was a surviving holy mark bearer in this generation.

The order began searching desperately for that child, Elise.

“Then, during the Cerberus Guild annihilation incident, my existence was revealed.”

Once they had a lead, the order discovered that Joseph and Elise were staying as guests of the duke’s household.

Thus, using the inquisitor’s authority, they forcefully brought them from the duke’s house.

“My old colleagues knelt before me, begging not to abandon the order…”

These were the people Joseph had once shared meals with.

Now, they knelt and begged him.

They pleaded for help, to save the cult leader.

Joseph couldn’t help but be conflicted.

Even though ten years had passed, there might still be someone targeting holy mark bearers.

But he couldn’t abandon his old colleagues either.

“At that moment, Ellie said she wanted to help, to save them.”

With Elise’s will to help, Joseph had no choice but to return to the order.

“Three days from now, the saintess awakening ceremony will be held. Then Elise will fully awaken her holy power and become a complete saintess.”

Until then, Elise was under strict guard by the order’s monks.

Joseph bowed deeply.

“My lord, I am truly sorry. For leaving without explanation, for causing you such trouble…”

The cult leader’s condition was a serious matter that couldn’t be revealed to the outside.

Yet, failing to inform Aden, their benefactor, and causing such a disturbance was something he felt deeply sorry for.

“Once this matter is resolved, I will return to the duke’s house no matter what. If it becomes difficult, I’ll send a trustworthy alchemist in my place, so please don’t worry.”

Joseph was grateful to Aden as well.

‘For the young master to ring the Bell of Woe for me and my daughter…’

As a member of the order, Joseph knew how reckless that was.

Yet, Aden overcame that recklessness, ringing the bell and now sitting before him.

Listening to Joseph’s story, Aden was deep in thought.

He was confused.

‘What’s going on? Why is the cult leader already…?’

The cult leader’s sudden death due to illness was supposed to happen three years later.

But now, the event had been moved up by three years.

Elise’s rise to sainthood was an entirely new event, but that was understandable.

However, why hadn’t Joseph sought help from the order when Elise was imprisoned by the Cerberus Guild?

It was a question that arose easily but could be explained.

‘The Cerberus Guild must have blocked information.’

They wouldn’t have guessed Elise was a holy mark bearer.

They definitely wouldn’t have known Joseph was a member of the Seven Star Council.

Thus, they committed the absurd act of selling the order’s saintess to a perverted noble family.

They likely only aimed for Joseph’s alchemy skills, blocking information and keeping him under surveillance.

Hence, the information between the order and Joseph was cut off.

In his previous life, Elise had quietly died a miserable death as a noble’s plaything.

But since Aden annihilated the Cerberus Guild and rescued Elise, the future had changed.

That explanation made sense.

However, the cult leader’s illness had no apparent connection.

The future had changed.

It had deviated from Aden’s predictions.

Aden’s eyes deepened.

‘I need to investigate further.’

Aden asked Joseph.

“Do you truly feel sorry?”

“Huh? Of course, my lord.”

Aden smiled satisfactorily at that response.

“Then please fulfill two of my requests, Joseph.”

—

Aden’s first request was to be allowed to stay in the order for a while.

Despite the order being on high alert, this request was surprisingly easily granted.

Several factors contributed to this.

First, was Aden’s status.

As the eldest son of a duke, he was naturally treated as a VIP and welcomed everywhere, but given the order’s current state, they were conservative.

The Remes Knights, being a military force, were not allowed entry and had to stay in the city.

Second, was Joseph and Elise’s endorsement.

Even though Joseph had been absent from the order for over ten years, his status as a former member of the Seven Star Council held weight.

He had long-standing ties with many in the order, ties that hadn’t faded even after ten years.

To the people of the order, Joseph was a trusted figure.

With such a person vouching for his safety, they could trust Aden.

Most importantly, the current saintess, Elise, strongly wished for Aden to stay.

As the sole holy mark bearer of this generation, Elise was treated as a saintess even before her awakening ceremony.

If the saintess demanded something, how could the lower ranks refuse?

Aden’s second request was to visit the unconscious cult leader.

This request led to much discussion, but it was eventually granted.

However, he had to be accompanied by the highest-ranking monk, Bali, who had previously clashed with him.

The next day, Aden went to see the cult leader.

“Kahaha! Let me reintroduce myself! I am the highest-ranking monk, Bali! I apologize for before, young master Aden!”

“…It’s fine. You were just doing your duty.”

“Kahaha! What a gracious young master! Truly the order’s benefactor!”

Bali had a loud and boisterous personality.

The title of benefactor was given to Aden after Joseph revealed his deeds in Makellan City.

If it weren’t for Aden, Elise would still be locked in a cold cell, and the order would have lost its saintess forever.

Therefore, the order, while wary, was generally favorable towards Aden.

Before entering the cult leader’s room, Bali gave Aden another warning.

“As you know, you’re allowed only five minutes with the cult leader. And you must keep his condition a secret.”

“I understand.”

The monks guarding the door stepped aside, having already been informed.

Click, the door opened.

‘Stench.’

As soon as he stepped inside, the first thing Aden noticed was the stench.

A smell akin to that of a corpse, one that couldn’t be masked even by the strong scent of the flowers arranged around the room.

The source of the stench lay on the bed—a frail old man.