The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 63

In truth, they couldn’t believe the rumors that Aden was a semi-master.

Even their lord and his son, Taion, hadn’t reached that level at Aden’s age.

People don’t believe until they see with their own eyes.

That meant they had no choice but to believe when they saw it for themselves.

Once they acknowledged that Aden’s level was much higher than theirs, as a semi-master, they couldn’t help but accept his inclusion, despite some dissatisfaction.

The elite knights disguised as mercenaries included six people, including Taion, all of whom were high-level sword aura users on the verge of becoming semi-masters.

With this level of power, even the entire Remes Knights Order might struggle to take down just one of them.

Aden clicked his tongue at the significant difference in strength.

‘Tsk, comparing like this makes the Remes Knights Order look too weak.’

He decided to train them once he returned to the territory.

“Taion, are you sure it’s okay with just this number?”

Although they were superior in overall strength compared to the bandits, their number was too small to carry out the subjugation.

Bandits were cowardly and vile by nature.

When they killed one bandit, another three or four would use the death of their comrades to flee far away.

It was different if Aden, who had reached the level of a semi-master, hadn’t joined them.

Taion scoffed at Aden’s question.

“Hmph, do you think I wouldn’t know that? I’ve already hired a special mercenary.”

“A special mercenary?”

Aden was about to ask what he meant.

“Kya-ha-ha! Everyone’s already gathered! Sorry I’m late!”

A cheerful girl’s laughter was heard from behind.

“Just in time. This is the person hired for this subjugation.”

Aden turned around to confirm the girl’s appearance.

She was a girl dressed in a loose black clerical robe, appearing to be around Aden’s age.

The girl had blonde hair and a clear, milk-white face.

Her innocent and smiling appearance made her look like an angel who had just descended from heaven.

Strangely, however, she carried a huge morning star on her back, which even an adult man would struggle to lift.

Additionally, her arms were wrapped in silver chains, giving her an unbalanced appearance that could make people flinch.

But considering her religion, it was also a common sight.

“Hello! I’m Lunia, a servant of the great God of Slaughter! Nice to meet you! Kya-ha!”

She was a pilgrim of the Slaughter Cult.

* * *

Demons with angelic faces.

Mad priests who bring death.

Servants of a god who spread blood across the wasteland.

These were the epithets used to describe the priests of the Slaughter Cult, one of the three major sacred orders.

The epithets were far from pleasant for a sacred order.

In Aden’s mind, the image of the Slaughter Cult was clear.

‘A group of berserkers who do not fear death.’

Their holy power was specialized in battle and slaughter.

Around six hundred of them, residing in the Slaughter Cult, were stopping the monsters from crossing the Wasteland of Death.

They were berserkers born for battle.

Given this, they might be mistaken for an evil cult, but they were a legitimate sacred order.

They adhered to a divine prohibition against unnecessary killing and had a unique doctrine that justified slaughter only for protection.

Thus, they rarely harmed civilians.

They prevented the overflow from the Wasteland of Death and traveled as pilgrims, eliminating monsters and villains, which gained them a considerable number of followers.

‘Most priests of the Slaughter Cult engage in mercenary work during their pilgrimages.’

The female priest named Lunia seemed to be such a mercenary.

‘With the addition of a Slaughter Cult priest, it makes sense to operate with this number against the bandits.’

Lunia beamed a bright smile.

She had a very sociable and lively personality.

“I heard about it! You’re the Duke’s child, right? Wow! It’s such a joy that you’re helping to punish the villains in need of the Slaughter God’s touch! Oh, and it’s nice to meet the escort knight too!”

“Y-yes. Nice to meet you too, Miss Lunia.”

“You can just call me Lunia!”

Receiving Lunia’s friendly greeting, Lowe blushed.

Lunia had an angelic appearance that could stir a man’s heart.

And Aden watched this scene with a cold gaze.

‘Ugh. That guy.’

Priests of the Slaughter Cult were all exceptionally beautiful men and women.

Because of this, naive people who first met them often fell for their smiles.

‘And only after seeing them crush people’s skulls with those innocent smiles do they come to their senses and run away.’

Aden was convinced that they traded common sense for increased beauty.

-Indeed. I recall my subordinates having quite a tough time with them in my previous life.

As Curse said, the Slaughter Cult was a powerful combat group comparable to the three kingdoms that controlled the other four great wastelands.

When they fought against the Talos, they would slaughter the Talos army so mercilessly that it was hard to tell who was Talos and who was human.

‘The only one who could control those insane people was the Iron-Blooded Saint.’

The Iron-Blooded Saint was almost the only one in the Slaughter Cult with a personality and character close to normal.

She ruled over the priests with overwhelming martial prowess and authority, keeping them from straying.

Lunia raised her hands as if cheering and laughed excitedly.

“Kya-ha! Bandit subjugation! This must be the blessing of the Slaughter God! I will do my best!”

Anyway, with the addition of the pilgrim to the party, there wouldn’t be any major issues.

Aden laughed in disbelief.

“I didn’t expect you to hire a pilgrim from the Slaughter Cult, Taion.”

“It costs some money, but there’s no one more suitable for this job.”

“No, it’s not that…”

Aden trailed off.

He was honestly surprised that Taion had hired a mercenary.

He knew how much Border Count Tiried despised mercenaries.

Knights generally had such tendencies, but the Border Count was extremely so.

He believed it was better to invest in improving the strength of his subordinate knights rather than hiring mercenaries.

It was surprising enough that the son of such a knight supremacist had hired a mercenary.

Sensing Aden’s thoughts, Taion nodded knowingly.

“Yes, Father, I mean the Lord, hates mercenaries. Of course, I understand his feelings as well…”

A bitter look appeared in Taion’s eyes.

It seemed there was a story Aden didn’t know.

Soon, Taion wiped away the bitterness and declared seriously.

“But my thoughts are different. If it’s necessary to save the people of the territory, what does it matter if it’s a mercenary or whatever? Don’t you agree?”

He wasn’t just a fool after all.

It turned out he cared a lot for the people of the territory and could make wise judgments.

Aden smiled slightly.

“Yes, that’s a fine statement.”

“Of course! Because I’m a fine person!”

A guy who didn’t know the word modesty.

But an interesting one.

Aden felt he understood why Sir Dayer was close to him.

Taion, standing before the elite knights, shouted with determination.

“Alright! Depart for the Forest of Death immediately!”

* * *

Taion and his five elite knights.

Aden, Lowe, and the priestess Lunia, making a party of nine disguised as mercenaries, drove the carriage.

They left Hamur City and headed straight for the road leading to the Forest of Death.

Despite being an off-limits forest, the path was relatively well-maintained.

Taion explained.

“It’s a path used by the slash-and-burn village for trading necessities.”

Although they obtained food through slash-and-burn farming, it was essential to buy other living supplies from the city.

Thanks to this, the group moved quickly through the forest.

Lowe looked around and remarked curiously.

“I heard this forest was unusual, but it seems quite ordinary.”

“Yes, it does.”

Aden agreed.

Despite being said to be polluted with poison and dark mana, it didn’t feel much different from any other forest.

Taion scoffed.

“It might seem so now. But you’ll understand everything once we go a bit further in.”

They would understand why it was called the Forest of Death.

The carriage rattled, moving slightly faster than walking pace along the forest path.

Soon, Aden was the first to sense a change.

‘It’s faint, but I can feel dark mana.’

The faint dark mana in the air twisted the flow of mana.

Like a heat haze rising over a hot rock.

As they went further in, the visual landscape began to change.

The leaves of the trees turned a gloomy black or brown color.

Yet, instead of withering, they seemed full of life.

They were plants that had adapted to the pollution of dark mana and poison.

In such a forest, the usual sounds of birds and insects were absent.

“It’s fitting to call it the Forest of Death.”

The silence was eerie, making the forest feel more sinister, as if ghosts might appear.

Aden found the pollution of the entire forest intriguing.

When he asked Taion, he answered.

“There’s a lake at the top of the volcano.”

A lake formed by rainwater collecting in the crater of a dormant volcano.

For some reason, it had contained thick poison and dark mana for a long time.

The forest had naturally taken on its current form by absorbing the underground water flowing from that lake.

Hence, the poison grew stronger as one approached the crater.

‘Hmm, and that’s where the Ent village is.’

Aden decided to deal with the scammer rabbit someday.

He took out a small pouch from his bosom.

Lowe, curious, asked.

“What’s that pouch?”

“Bone powder.”

“…Why do you have something like that in your possession?”

“Just because.”

It was bone powder that Aden had collected after killing the lich.

It was something he intended to trade when meeting the Ents.

‘Can you guarantee that Ents will like this? If you’re wrong, I’ll give you a bath with Holy Potion.’

-Of course. They won’t just like it; they’ll go crazy over it like cats with dried catnip. No need to worry.

‘What? That sounds worrying in a different way.’

Taion spoke.

“A little further and we’ll reach the first slash-and-burn village. We’ll go there first.”

Before dealing with the bandits, they needed to check the village’s condition and gather information.

After traveling for about an hour in the carriage, they arrived at the slash-and-burn village.

However, something seemed off from a distance.

The sense of foreboding grew as they got closer, and they realized why when they arrived.

“Oh my god!”

“What… what is this! The village!”

The slash-and-burn village they arrived at was already completely devastated.