The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 47

The highest authority in the Sacred Fire Order, the current leader, was Kertel Jin.

At a glance, his condition was far from good. His skin was pallid like that of a corpse, with pus oozing from various places. His body was so emaciated that he resembled a living skeleton.

If not for the faint sound of his breathing, one might have mistaken him for dead.

Seeing the leader in such a state, Bali’s cheerful demeanor disappeared, replaced by a pained expression.

“It has been about a month since he reached this condition, Prince Aden. According to our experts, the critical point will be in a week.”

Kertel Jin, the current leader, was a person worthy of respect, both in character and ability.

Because of this, the members of the order genuinely respected and followed him.

However, knowing that his life was nearing its end, they all felt a sorrow and pain akin to losing a family member.

Aden looked at the unconscious leader, a complex expression crossing his face.

‘Kertel Jin…’

Aden had no deep ties with the Sacred Fire Order, but he did have a connection with its leader.

In his previous life, two years later, he fought a High Troll Shaman who controlled fire.

After achieving a near mutual destruction victory, Aden, in a near-death state, tore open the shaman’s belly and ate its heart to survive.

But a raw troll heart was akin to poison.

Although the High Troll’s regenerative mana extended Aden’s life, he would have died if left untreated.

At that moment, the leader of the Sacred Fire Order, who happened to be on a covert mission, discovered him by chance. He treated Aden without expecting anything in return.

To heal Aden, he sutured his wounds and infused him with divine power, tirelessly tending to him for an entire day.

Despite the leader of an order taking action, Aden’s condition was so severe that immediate healing was impossible.

After recovering, Aden asked the leader why he had saved him without any expectation of return.

Despite being emaciated from excessive use of divine power, Kertel had smiled awkwardly, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

“Well… does one need a reason to save another person? I am a servant of the Sacred Fire. Its light reaches everywhere. If there is someone in need and I have the power to help, isn’t it natural to do so?”

Aden, like many mercenaries, prioritized his own interests above all.

Therefore, the leader’s belief seemed unfamiliar to him.

But it didn’t feel entirely wrong.

Aden left as soon as he recovered, promising to repay his debt to the leader someday.

As a mercenary who valued practicality, he never forgot a debt.

But in the end, he never repaid it.

He later heard that the leader had died of old age about a year after.

‘He died early before I could repay my debt, damn old man.’

That was Aden’s impression of Leader Kertel.

And now, unexpectedly encountering him in such a state again left a bitter taste in Aden’s mouth.

‘Huh?’

Something caught Aden’s eye.

A faint, dark something shimmered above the leader’s body.

Aden rubbed his eyes and looked again, frowning. The dark shimmer remained.

He glanced at Priest Bali beside him, but it seemed invisible to him.

Apparently, only Aden could see it.

‘What is it?’

Just then, Demon Lord’s voice echoed in his mind.

– Dragon Slayer.

Aden was about to tell Demon Lord to be quiet since Bali was right next to him, but then he heard something unexpected.

– This human is cursed. A very nasty one at that.

“What?”

Aden instinctively responded.

A curse? On the leader?

“Hmm? Prince Aden, is something wrong?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

When Priest Bali looked at him curiously, Aden shook his head.

He wanted to ask Curse what he meant right away, but he couldn’t with others watching.

It was inconvenient that he could only communicate with Curse through speech at times like these.

Curse’s unilateral voice continued.

– Hmm, significant effort was put into this, for a human.

Aden’s mind raced.

‘Is Leader Kertel really cursed?’

If so, who placed the curse?

How the curse was placed in the first place was a mystery.

Kertel Jin was the leader of the Sacred Fire Order.

This meant he was the previous generation’s saint and still possessed considerable divine power, even though the saint rank no longer existed.

This was true even though the order’s overall divine power had significantly weakened over the past decade.

To place a meticulous curse on such a person without the clergy detecting it required extraordinary skill.

Curses were the domain of warlocks.

Was there a warlock capable of cursing the leader to such an extent?

‘If he really died because of a curse…’

It would mean that even in his previous life, the leader didn’t just die of old age but was assassinated through a curse.

Aden’s eyes grew cold.

—

Night had fallen.

After a brief encounter with the unconscious leader, Aden returned to his room and spoke with Curse.

“So, it’s certain that the leader isn’t sick but cursed?”

– I am a fragment of the noble soul of the Demon Lord. There is no dark magic in this world that can deceive me.

According to Curse, the curse was so cleverly hidden that most humans wouldn’t notice it.

The curse on the leader was like a slowly accumulating poison, a weak curse that had integrated with his body over time.

It lay dormant, avoiding divine power detection, and only revealed its true nature at a critical moment.

This made it difficult for even clergy or warlocks to detect.

After hearing Curse’s explanation, Aden frowned slightly.

“Then how could I sense the curse?”

The black shimmer Aden had seen was not actually visible but rather an illusion of the curse’s energy, so vivid it seemed real.

Curse pondered for a moment before speaking.

– Perhaps it is due to my influence.

Aden harbored the soul of the Demon Lord, the pinnacle of all things unholy.

This might have sharpened his senses towards such matters, according to Curse.

Curse made a sudden proposal to Aden.

– Have you ever considered learning dark magic?

“Are you crazy? What?”

Aden was taken aback.

In his previous life, he had been a war hero who slaughtered warlocks and Talos.

He was a swordsman who had nothing to do with dark magic or spells.

To ask if he would learn dark magic was absurd.

“Are you serious?”

– Among humans, none might have as much potential in dark magic as you do. You even house a Demon Stone within you.

Aden couldn’t argue with that.

Indeed, it would be laughable if a human with a Demon Stone had no talent for dark magic.

There would be no other irregularity like him in this world.

– The applications of dark magic are endless. If you truly master it, you could excel as much as that warlock leader.

Aden was somewhat tempted by those words.

However, after a brief thought, he shook his head.

“No. Why would I do that?”

Aden had fought many warlocks and Talos and knew the strengths of dark magic.

It allowed one to gain great power with minimal effort.

Using dark energy borrowed from Talos to perform dark magic had few limits.

Unlike mana users or mages who needed to acquire skills and accumulate mana, warlocks could become powerful quickly by focusing on mastering techniques.

Moreover, dark magic could touch upon the realm of souls, something traditional magic couldn’t do.

This could lead to immortality and eternal life, a tempting bait.

Despite the persecution they faced, warlocks still existed because of these alluring characteristics.

But Aden also knew the numerous downsides of dark magic.

Firstly, learning dark magic meant losing the benefits of holy potions or blessings from priests.

Holy power repelled dark energy.

The biggest risk, however, was the madness inherent in dark magic.

Dark energy stimulated negative emotions like anger, hatred, greed, and jealousy.

Dark magic, by its nature, encouraged inhumane and unethical actions.

It was a faster and more convenient way to gain power.

Thus, those who learned dark magic gradually lost their humanity.

And with a worn-down mind, it was impossible to overcome certain barriers.

This made it difficult to achieve great success in dark magic.

“Besides, I’m a swordsman.”

Aden had lived his whole life knowing nothing but the sword.

Even though he used mana, it was in an intuitive manner.

Learning spells, crafting formulas, and arranging mana in a methodical way didn’t suit him.

‘That’s why Niketa is exceptional.’

Niketa Florence’s dark swordsmanship was a skill born from talent in both dark magic and swordsmanship.

Aden, who only had talent in swordsmanship, couldn’t even imitate it.

The source of power might differ, but learning dark magic, which was akin to magic, was unlikely to lead to true mastery for him.

“I don’t see the need to bear such side effects. It’s a pointless suggestion.”

– If that’s what you think, there’s nothing more to say.

“Well, I’ll remember it anyway. Dark magic is powerful, after all.”

Aden was in a state of honing his strength for revenge.

He was willing to do anything to become stronger.

So, he wasn’t entirely opposed to using dark magic if necessary.

But that was a matter for the future. For now, he focused on the immediate problem.

‘Who placed the curse on Leader Kertel?’

According to Curse’s explanation, the person who cursed the leader had taken a long time to meticulously infuse the curse.

To do this, only someone within the order could have managed it.

The culprit was likely someone inside the Sacred Fire Order.

“Is there a way to lift the curse on the leader?”

– The curse on that old human’s body has integrated with his flesh. Even if you find the caster, it’s uncertain if it can be removed. The most assured method would be to forcibly infuse a tremendous amount of holy power or to have someone who perfectly understands the structure of the curse perform a precise exorcism.

In other words, if Elise awakened as a saint and used holy power, the curse could definitely be lifted.

‘Then the one who placed the curse would be quite troubled.’

For some reason, the culprit wanted the leader dead now, three years ahead of time.

If the leader were healed using Elise’s holy power, it would pose a significant problem for the caster, making Elise a thorn in their side.

‘They might act before Elise’s awakening ceremony.’

The one who cursed the leader was likely within the order.

They would surely make a move.

Just then, a scream echoed from afar.

It was Elise’s voice.