The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity
Chapter 64

After the bandits had finished their plundering, they set fire to the place, leaving only piles of ash and charred remains of houses and utensils. The blackened corpses scattered around gave off a foul stench.

Lowe let out a heavy sigh.

“We’re too late…”

“Find any survivors! Quickly!”

At Taion’s urgent command, the elite knights moved to search the slash-and-burn village.

Taion also personally stepped in to search for survivors.

“O God of Slaughter, please take pity on your children who have suffered unjust slaughter, and save their souls…”

The priestess Lunia, usually so playful, now solemnly prayed to the god to console the spirits of the deceased.

Though they worshiped a fierce god, it didn’t mean they lacked emotions or respect for the dead. On the contrary, since they served a god who governed slaughter and death, their reverence held special significance.

Next to Aden, Lowe bit his lower lip and shivered.

“How can anyone, wearing a human guise, do such things…”

Lowe, who had never witnessed such atrocities in Remes Territory, was visibly shocked. Even for bandits, such acts were rare. Destroying a village meant eliminating those they could plunder from, akin to killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.

“I can’t understand why they would do this.”

Everyone joined forces to search for survivors in the village. However, no matter how thoroughly they looked, they found no signs of life.

Taion spoke with a hardened face.

“There are four more villages besides this one.”

There was no information to be gathered from here. Judging by the village’s condition, the plundering had occurred only a day ago. Unless this was the last target, there might still be other villages that were safe.

Thud! Thud!

Horses galloped as the carriage sped through the rugged mountain path.

After some time, they arrived near the second slash-and-burn village.

“Damn, here too!”

But what awaited them at the second village were the corpses of a man stabbed to death with dozens of knives and a woman holding a baby in her arms, both dead.

“Here too…”

At the third village, they found ten people beheaded and their heads displayed on poles.

There were no survivors.

Though they soon arrived at the fourth village, all they could see were charred corpses and traces of desperate resistance.

“Damn it all…!”

With each village they checked, Taion’s face grew more twisted until he finally exploded.

Bang!

In his fury, Taion punched a tree blackened by fire.

“Damn, damn, damn!”

Even though the villagers did not pay taxes, they were still people cultivating the land in his territory. Seeing the horrors inflicted upon them, Taion felt an indescribable emotion, unable to do anything but curse.

Taion’s curses echoed through the deserted village.

Meanwhile, Aden calmly observed the burnt village.

“You’re quite composed, Dragon Slayer King.”

“This is a familiar sight for me.”

Aden had seen and experienced entire villages disappearing due to various reasons, whether monsters ravaging them, a plague spreading, or being devastated by bandits like this place.

During the Great War against Talos, he had seen even more horrific scenes. Parents eating their children, adults committing unspeakable acts on kids, and people hunting and playing with others just for fun.

He had seen how cruel humans could become when they lost hope and morality.

“But still…”

Aden picked up a half-burned, crude wooden doll lying on the ground. Originally, it was a toy children would use for playing house.

Crunch.

Unable to withstand Aden’s light touch, the doll crumbled to dust and fell from his hand.

Clench!

Aden clenched his empty fist tightly.

“But that doesn’t mean I’m not furious.”

Aden’s gaze was as cold and chilling as a storm.

He organized the information he had gathered from the four villages in his mind.

“These slash-and-burn villages are quite fortified.”

Although destroyed, they had built fairly sturdy wooden fences and seemed to have held out together as a village militia.

“But the attackers were not just any ragtag group.”

Despite their resistance, the villagers had been brutally slaughtered. The traces left by the bandits indicated they were experienced and highly coordinated.

“They were either mercenaries or had been mercenaries.”

There were instances where mercenaries, without work or expelled from guilds for crimes, turned into bandit gangs.

This was why the perception of mercenaries was often negative.

“The number of corpses is too low.”

Considering the size of the villages, many people had lived there. However, the number of corpses found was relatively small. This meant most of the residents had disappeared somewhere. They had either escaped or been taken by the bandits. Since there were no signs of a retreat, it was likely the latter.

“Why did they take so many villagers?”

While Aden pondered this, he heard a knight’s shout.

“We found a survivor!”

“…!”

At the news of a survivor, Taion quickly turned his head and ran towards the source. Aden followed him.

There, they found a young girl and boy clinging to each other, trembling.

“Eek!”

“Waaah!”

The children were too scared to even run and cried upon seeing the adults.

The knight who had found them reported.

“They were hiding in an empty barrel for waste.”

“A waste barrel, clever.”

Aden commented calmly.

People instinctively paid less attention to dirty things. Whether the children had hidden themselves or their parents had done it, they had wisely survived in a desperate situation.

Taion’s gaze fixed on the children as he slowly approached them.

“…You survived.”

Taion carefully hugged the frightened children. His voice trembled slightly.

The children, covered in filth and emitting a foul odor, didn’t bother him at all.

“Thank you, truly.”

He spoke with a choked voice, filled with genuine gratitude for their survival.

* * *

As they passed through four villages, evening came.

Their carriage headed towards the fifth and final village.

Given that four villages had already been destroyed, they didn’t hold much hope for the last one, but they had to check.

The children were covered with blankets and taken care of in the carriage. Once they knew the knights were from the territory, they relaxed and fell asleep, holding each other tightly.

The children, frowning in their sleep as if having nightmares, were gently patted by Taion, who looked at them with a bitter expression.

“Aden Remes… The residents of the slash-and-burn villages are outcasts of the territory.”

Then, Taion suddenly spoke to Aden.

“Those who committed crimes and fled, those avoiding taxes, deserters, and their children live here.”

His voice was as cold as could be.

“They can’t live in the territory and don’t want to. Foolishly, they made this forest full of poison their new home. But still…”

Taion clenched his fists. His shoulders trembled slightly, and his face contorted with anger.

He shouted as if releasing his pent-up frustration.

“They are still Sedus people! Proudly living as part of the northeastern border’s lineage, they should not be devastated by a mere bandit horde. They are rightful members of this territory!”

Taion Sedus.

Guardian of the northeastern border, son of a Sword Master.

As the heir of the Sedus name, he was furious.

Aden saw the gleam of vengeance in Taion’s eyes directed towards the bandits.

“I will make them pay for their crimes.”

Taion vowed with clenched teeth, a determination deep in his heart.

“Indeed.”

Aden watched him calmly from the side.

“I hope you achieve your aim.”

The avenger acknowledged Taion’s thirst for revenge.

* * *

By late evening, the carriage arrived at the last slash-and-burn village.

As they approached the fifth village, Taion’s expression grew more rigid, fearing they would find the same horrors they had seen before.

There were makeshift wooden fences, with torches burning atop them.

“Someone’s coming!”

“A carriage! Ring the bell!”

People’s shadows flitted about, and upon seeing the carriage, they reacted with surprise and confusion.

Men came rushing out, holding spears, pointing them at the approaching carriage.

“Stop! Who are you?”

They were the residents of the slash-and-burn village, filled with suspicion and hostility.

Luckily, they were safe.

No, they were far from being entirely safe. Many looked like defeated soldiers, some missing an arm or with an eye patch. Clearly, they had already been attacked once.

Yet, they were determined to protect the village, brandishing spears at the unfamiliar carriage.

“Sigh…”

Seeing this, Taion finally relaxed his stiff expression.

“Phew! This village is still standing! Thank goodness!”

The priestess Lunia smiled brightly.

Taion stepped out of the carriage and showed the Sedus family crest, shouting.

“I am Taion Sedus, eldest son of the Sedus family! We came here upon hearing that a band of mere bandits was harassing the village! There’s no need to be on edge!”

Upon confirming the Sedus family crest, the people’s hostility melted away.

“The lord’s son?”

“People from the territory are here!”

Soon, the wooden gate was unlatched and opened.

A middle-aged man with a fierce look, bandages on his broken arm, and a burly build that made him look like a bandit himself, stepped forward and bowed.

“I am Marcus, the village chief. Welcome, honored guests.”

The man with a bandit-like appearance was, in fact, the village chief.

“But those children inside the carriage…?”

The chief pointed at the children huddled inside the carriage.

“They are survivors from another village. They are the only ones.”

The chief sighed with a pained expression upon hearing the state of the other villages.

“Ah… It turned out as I feared…”

After hearing the tragic news about the other villages from Taion, the chief exclaimed, then urgently requested.

“I’m sorry to ask, but do you have any extra potions? We have people in urgent need of treatment, but we have none left.”

“We brought plenty. Lead the way.”

The group followed the chief into the village.

This slash-and-burn village was larger than the others.

“That’s why they managed to withstand the attack.”

They were led to the village hall where the wounded were being treated.

Upon entering, they saw a scene typical of a post-battle field.

“Ugh…”

“Hey! Bring more hemostatic herbs over here!”

People were treating wounds from sword cuts, while others, sprawled on the ground, groaned in pain, with women tending to them.

Taion had the knights distribute the potions from the carriage to the villagers.

Receiving the potions, the villagers applied them to their wounds and drank them, gradually regaining their strength.

But there was a commotion from one corner.

“Why isn’t it working? The potion isn’t working!”

“Someone, help this child!”

Aden approached the distressed woman and asked.

“What’s the matter?”

“The potion… It’s not healing this child’s wound, and their complexion is getting paler…”

Aden glanced at the injured child.

The child had dark brown skin, and a deep cut across their abdomen.

“…!”

His eyes widened slightly in surprise.

Though the child looked human on the surface, parts of their limbs were covered in bark, and their hair was made of dark green leaves tinged with purple.

Their androgynous appearance was strangely otherworldly and mystical.

“Hey, could this kid be…”

“Yes, that’s right, Dragon Slayer King. It’s an Ent, one you’ve been searching for. Though it’s on the verge of death.”

In the last slash-and-burn village, Aden found a young Ent on the brink of death.