The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 61

At first, they sparred one-on-one to maintain the honor of knights, but not a single one of them lasted more than three moves.

As a result, they eventually resorted to attacking together, but even then, they were completely defeated.

It was impossible for them to win against Aden, who had reached the realm of Semi-Master.

Duke Fried shook his head.

“Hah, no, Sir Spele. When has Aden ever bent to anyone’s will? He has changed a lot, but some things remain the same.”

“If you give the order now, I will go and bring him back immediately.”

“No, since he’s at Brother Tide’s estate, I can worry a little less.”

Moreover, since Aden had reached the level of a Semi-Master, there shouldn’t be any major problems.

After sending Sir Spele away, Duke Fried fell into deep thought.

“Semi-Master, huh….”

A bitter smile appeared on his face.

In the history of the Remes Ducal Family, there hadn’t been anyone who reached the level of Semi-Master since the founding patriarch.

No, not only had no one reached Semi-Master, but there hadn’t even been anyone who surpassed the basic strengthening stage to manifest Sword Aura.

Because of this, some referred to it as the curse of the Remes family.

This included Duke Fried himself, and it would likely be difficult for his second son Carl to overcome that barrier as well.

“But Aden is different.”

In less than a year since he began training, he had reached the level of Semi-Master.

Even with ample support and elixirs, it wasn’t an easy feat.

He had broken the family’s curse completely.

“If my son went to Brother Tide’s estate, there must be a reason.”

As his father, the best thing he could do was trust Aden until he showed results and proceed with the groundwork for establishing the church branch within the territory.

His son had always brought back significant achievements whenever something happened.

Surely, this time would be no different.

—

Just as he had received help from Pobol to travel to Yulican City before, Aden traveled this time through his merchant group as well.

Thus, accompanied by Lowe, Aden traveled for ten days and arrived at the city of Hamur in Sedus County, near the Forest of Death.

“This is Sedus Territory, Aden.”

Lowe looked around in amazement, his mouth agape.

To Lowe, who had only ever lived within the territory, the unique atmosphere of the north was fascinating.

The high walls surrounding the city of Hamur and the soldiers standing guard.

Occasionally, armored mercenaries with weapons walked the streets.

It was a characteristic of Sedus Territory.

‘Because this land faces monster waves twice a year.’

In the summer, monsters from the eastern Wasteland of Death came, and in the winter, monsters from the north descended.

With support from the imperial family, fortresses and troops could be maintained even in such harsh places.

The northeast had grown stronger and honed their skills by facing monster waves every year.

As a result, the overall atmosphere was one of vigor and resilience.

However, there was no particular tension or fear on the faces of the people in the streets.

It was a sign that the territory’s security was well-maintained.

Curse asked Aden.

– The Forest of Death, its name doesn’t suit a place where plant-like tribes live.

‘That’s true.’

The Forest of Death was located at the border between the Grand Duchy of Sias and Sedus Territory.

Formed around the caldera of an extinct volcano, the Forest of Death was contaminated with mild poison and demonic energy, making it unsuitable for human habitation.

Due to this, it was teeming with all sorts of undead and poisonous monsters.

“The more surprising thing is that people still live in such a place.”

Despite the harsh environment, there were people living in slash-and-burn villages.

People who committed crimes and couldn’t live in the territory.

Those who were too poor and destitute to pay taxes.

Those who fled to avoid being conscripted as soldiers or deserted during battles.

People who found it difficult to live in the territory for various reasons became slash-and-burn farmers and struggled to establish villages in the forest.

‘Perhaps the Ents in the Forest of Death are there for similar reasons.’

The Fairy Tribe, including Ents, were easily victimized by human greed.

Especially Ents, whose bodies themselves were high-quality medicinal materials, had been hunted like wild animals.

They must have been chased and driven to settle in such a remote, dark forest.

A place where the outcasts of the world lived.

That was the Forest of Death.

‘I need information first.’

Although he knew the location of the Ent village, he couldn’t just enter blindly.

‘Spirit merchant Rabbits said it was the place with the lowest survival rate for humans.’

There must be a reason for that. Aden decided to fill his empty stomach and gather information first, so he headed to a tavern with Lowe.

The tavern was bustling inside.

“Owner! Another drink here!”

“Serve yourself!”

“Bring me another serving here!”

While there were many locals in the tavern, there were also some foreign mercenaries like Aden.

As Aden sat at a table, a middle-aged man with a gorilla-like appearance approached and asked bluntly.

“What’ll you have?”

Aden looked at the menu written in crude handwriting on the wall and replied.

“Stewed beef and half a loaf of bread. And two bottles of wine.”

The owner quickly returned to the kitchen with the order.

While waiting for the food, Aden listened to the conversations of the mercenaries around him.

“People have been disappearing lately.”

“Disappearing? Isn’t it that they were eaten by monsters?”

“If monsters had come into the city, there would have been a huge commotion. Think before you speak, you fool.”

“I’ve heard it too. The innkeeper’s daughter at the Golden Coin Inn disappeared. The guards couldn’t find any clues and had no success.”

“Tsk, what are the high-ranking folks doing…”

There wasn’t much useful information.

Disappearing people were one of the signs that Warlocks were emerging from the shadows.

This meant that there was a Warlock somewhere in this territory. However, Aden didn’t feel the need to intervene.

This kind of thing was happening all over the continent, and since the guards found no clues, there was nothing Aden could do.

After eavesdropping on the conversations around him for a while, the ordered food arrived.

Aden handed the gorilla-like owner a gold coin.

It was a large amount as a tip.

“I have something to ask. Do you know much about the Forest of Death?”

The owner pocketed the gold coin and replied indifferently.

“Are you mercenaries?”

“Well, something like that.”

Aden and Lowe were dressed in practical leather armor, commonly worn by mercenaries, to avoid drawing attention.

Announcing ‘I’m a noble’ was an easy way to get stabbed by a stray knife.

The owner looked over Aden and Lowe before speaking.

“I’ve lived here for 40 years. If I didn’t know about the forest right in front of me, I’d be a complete idiot. It looks like you’re a young lord on an adventure with a bodyguard, but it’s best you turn back.”

“Ha!”

Lowe, who had been sipping wine, choked and coughed.

‘Hey, how could you give us away like that when I’m keeping quiet?’

Aden shot Lowe a disdainful look.

Unfazed, Aden asked.

“Why do you think that?”

“After working at this tavern for decades, you get a feel for things. A young man in his early twenties wearing such fine gear without a single scar on his face, it’s obvious, isn’t it? And your friend there looks like a knight.”

Aden’s current body was that of a 19-year-old who had lived a carefree life as a spoiled noble.

The innate air of nobility wasn’t something that disappeared easily just because the person inside had changed.

This tavern owner had sharp eyes.

Aden shrugged.

“Well, something like that. So, why do you say it’s dangerous? What do you mean by that?”

“Do you know what kind of place the Forest of Death is?”

“I know it’s a place with dangerous monsters and death.”

“Hmph, it’s more than just dangerous. From the smallest insects to the trees, everything is poisonous. Just brushing against a branch can poison you and leave you at death’s door. Those who die become zombies or skeletons within a day and attack people. Only those with the guts of slash-and-burn farmers can set foot in the Forest of Death.”

“If poison is the problem, we’ve already prepared for it.”

Aden had a box of top-quality holy potions in his Subspace Pouch.

Poison wouldn’t be an issue.

“Do you know anything about Ents?”

“Ents? Huh, so you came here looking for Ents too.”

The owner chuckled.

“It’s not uncommon. This place has a lot of sightings of the Fairy Tribe.”

The owner nodded knowingly.

People who ventured into the forest for dreams of great wealth or fantasies of meeting a mystical race.

The owner judged that Aden was also a young lord on an adventurous fantasy.

“To find Ents, you have to go to the heart of the Forest of Death, near the summit of the extinct volcano.”

However, the deeper one went into the forest, the thicker the poisonous miasma became, and reaching the summit required risking one’s life.

“Out of ten people who ventured deep into the forest looking for Ents, five lost their lives, and four ended up poisoned and had to amputate parts of their bodies.”

The owner rolled up his left sleeve.

It was empty inside.

“Like me.”

The owner was missing his left arm below the elbow.

It was as if he was saying that those who ventured into

the forest would end up like him.

His eyes looked as empty as his left arm.

“Due to the constant disappearances and deaths, access to the forest has been restricted to authorized personnel only for the past 3-4 years. So, don’t even think about going into the forest.”

Leaving a final warning, the owner walked away.

—

“Aden, I really think we should turn back. It’s too dangerous.”

“If you’re that worried, Lowe, you can go back and rest.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

Leaving the tavern, Aden walked purposefully.

‘I need to go to the lord’s castle first.’

According to the tavern owner, the Forest of Death was off-limits to the general public.

Aside from the paths used by slash-and-burn farmers, the forest was surrounded by walls and guarded by sentries.

To enter, Aden needed authorization from above, so he planned to seek permission from the Border Count Tiried at the lord’s castle.

Aden and Lowe arrived at the front gate of the lord’s castle.

They could see the castle of Border Count Tiried.