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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: Reappearance
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"Grand Prince."
After returning from my meeting with the marquis, I was thinking about what to pack when I heard Arin's voice from outside my door.
"Come in."
She must have come straight from training, as her face and hair were smudged with a bit of dirt.
"The knight order that will accompany you has been decided, Grand Prince."
"It's the Silver Eagle Knights, I presume."
"You knew?"
Surprised, Arin's voice rose slightly.
"It's obvious. The Water Dragon Knights just returned from an expedition, and the White Elephant Knights are tasked with protecting the house. That only leaves the Silver Eagles."
"I see."
Karox, the commander of the Silver Eagle Knights, is the older brother of Marchioness Kaina.
Karox has an insidious nature, one that would poison me, but he plays the part of a fiercely loyal knight for the marquis. That's why my father would have chosen him for this mission without a second thought.
Perhaps because of my warning, they've been quiet for now, but I didn't think Kaina and Karox would stay that way for long.
I had already warned them. If they ever touched me again, I would make them feel a pain worse than death.
"Did you come just to tell me the knight order was decided?"
"Yes? Yes."
To think she'd come running to tell me the moment she found out… She seemed like a completely different person from the Arin of the past.
"Thank you."
"Of course not. We depart the morning after tomorrow. The Mage Tower will be providing warp support."
"Alright."
"Well then, I will take my leave."
Arin bowed and left the room. Looking out the window, I saw her running back to the training grounds.
"It's not just me. Arin has changed a lot, too."
**
The next day, I went to see Giranox.
"Are the repairs I asked for finished?"
"Of course."
Giranox brought me a jet-black belt holding ten throwing daggers.
"To be honest, there was almost nothing to repair. It seems you used them quite cleanly."
"I told you when I dropped them off. I only used them when I took down the Sharkrai King."
"Haha! So you did."
When I first brought the daggers in for repair, Giranox had been so overjoyed to hear that a weapon he'd crafted had killed a Sharkrai King that he'd shed tears of joy.
"Has anyone been bothering you or making things difficult?"
"Not at all. Everyone is so kind, it's almost overwhelming."
"That's a relief. I'm a bit busy now, so I'll stop by again later."
"Ah, wait a moment!"
I still had preparations to finish for my departure and was about to head back to my room, but Giranox hurriedly stopped me.
"The item you ordered is finished!"
"Already?"
"It was so much fun to make. I lost track of time and worked through the night."
As he spoke, Giranox brought over an object wrapped in red cloth.
"Hmm…"
Inside the red cloth were two small sickles. There were holes in the handles, and the blades were serrated like saw teeth.
"What do you think?"
Giranox looked at me with an expression like a puppy waiting for a treat.
"They're not just 'okay.' They're perfect."
"Hahaha!"
These small sickles were a hidden weapon I had commissioned from Giranox, and in less than five days, he had created something that exceeded my expectations.
"I heard you were heading somewhere dangerous, Grand Prince, so I worked all night yesterday to finish them. I'm glad I made it in time."
His thoughtfulness warmed my heart.
"Thank you. I'll make good use of them."
"Yes. That's all I need."
**
At dawn the next day, I went to the warp location. Most of the people were already gathered.
"Peru."
"Yes."
"Confirm if the headcount matches yesterday's report."
"Understood."
After assigning Peru the headcount, I approached the marquis, who wore a worried expression.
"Are you well prepared?"
"I've prepared thoroughly."
"You are in charge of this support mission. I've already spoken to Commander Karox, so go and show the Elion Duchy the might of House Lox."
"Understood."
"Grand Prince. I'll be in your care."
Karox, who was standing next to the marquis, smiled and extended his hand to me.
I smiled as I took his hand and shook it. The sight of me smiling and shaking hands with the man who had ordered me poisoned felt like a scene from a comedy.
"Commander, I look forward to your 'assistance.'"
"Hmph…"
Karox showed his displeasure and began to squeeze my hand.
"Urk."
But my body was a Heavenly Martial Body. Without even using my internal energy, just by tightening my grip, I could make Karox's face contort in pain.
"Hngh."
I chuckled and released his hand. Karox, his face flushed, glared at me.
"Yuren, these are the people you're responsible for. Say a few words before you depart."
"But didn't you, Marquis…"
"I already finished before you arrived."
As I listened to the marquis and looked out at the knight order, my eyes met with someone unexpected.
"Collin, what are you doing here?"
"I volunteered because I wanted to come."
"I gave him permission."
I looked at the marquis, and he nodded with an awkward expression.
"Why would you seek out such a dangerous place?"
"I want to become stronger."
Collin looked at me with unwavering eyes. There was a distinctly different light in them than before.
After returning from the expedition, Collin had started greeting me whenever he saw me and using formal speech. It seemed the expedition had brought about a significant change in his mindset.
"Take good care of Collin."
"You're passing on a lot of responsibility to me."
"Hahaha! I say it because I trust you. I'm counting on you."
The marquis clapped me heavily on the shoulder, as if to show his trust.
"Peru. Did you confirm the headcount?"
"Yes. With the addition of Lord Collin, the numbers are correct."
"Good work."
I stepped away from the group and onto a platform so everyone could see me.
"Listen up, everyone."
I infused my voice with internal energy, so even without shouting, my words would bore directly into everyone's ears.
"We are now heading to an extremely dangerous battlefield. A place where many have already died."
"Ugh."
"Hah."
As I spoke, I unleashed an oppressive aura, and I could hear the groans of the knights buckling under my pressure.
"On the battlefield, one person's mistake can lead to everyone's death. From the moment we warp, anyone who disobeys my orders will be subject to summary execution."
When I finished, everyone held their breath.
"Anyone with a complaint, step forward now."
Of course, no one stepped forward.
The Silver Eagle Knights, who had only heard tales of my exploits on the last expedition, couldn't even meet my gaze. Only Karox was trembling, clenching his jaw tightly.
"None, then. We depart."
"Are you finished?"
"Yes. Please proceed."
"Then, please come this way."
I followed the man who appeared to be the mages' representative to a large magic circle, surrounded by sixteen mages.
"Please step inside and wait for a moment."
As we entered the magic circle, the mages began to chant quickly.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
"Then I wish you good fortune in battle."
A flash of light, and in an instant, the world changed. Unlike the teleportation at the Mage Tower, this was quite shaky, but it seemed we had arrived safely. Unfamiliar knights and soldiers surrounded us.
"You've arrived."
A handsome, silver-haired man walked toward me. I wasn't short by any means, but he was so tall I had to look up at him.
"My name is Kyle Elion."
Kyle Elion. Grand Prince of House Elion, and the older brother of Karik Elion, the one I had crushed.
"I am Yuren Lox."
"You really came. I've heard of your incredible feats lately. We would be grateful if you would lend us that strength."
"You're too kind. Where is Duke Elion? I believe I should greet him first."
"I will guide you."
I followed Kyle to the very top of the castle. We entered a room at the highest point, open on all four sides with no doors. A middle-aged man with short-cropped silver hair stood up as if he had been waiting and approached us.
"So you're Yuren Lox? You look so much like your father. It's like seeing Marquis Lox in his youth."
"Yuren Lox, firstborn of House Lox, greets Your Grace, Duke Loper Elion."
"There's no need for such formality."
At the duke's words, I rose and bowed my head slightly.
"Thank you so much for coming to help. You and the Silver Eagle Knights will be a great asset."
"Not at all. It was our duty to come."
"Hehe, the old rumors really can't be trusted. The recent rumors of you as a 'Slayer' seem to describe you more accurately."
"Not at all."
"So, what great deeds will you perform this time?"
The duke seemed to already know about the Sharkrai King and the Sea Serpent I had recently slain.
"I will simply do my best to help reclaim the northern wall."
"I'm truly grateful."
"Your Grace, are all the enemies currently undead?"
"That's right. At first, there were also the large monsters we usually fight, but they were all devoured by the undead. Now, only the undead remain."
In the original novel, both large monsters and undead appeared, but it seems that time has passed, leaving only the undead.
"When do you plan to counterattack?"
"We will begin at sunrise tomorrow. Not only you, but other houses have also sent support, so we should be more than capable of retaking the northern wall."
"We will be."
To be honest, I felt like I could go in alone and wipe them all out myself.
"When the operation begins tomorrow, your group will exit through the west gate and advance upwards."
"Would it be possible to go through the east gate instead of the west?"
"The east? Is there a reason?"
"No, sir. I simply prefer the east."
I needed to go through the east gate to quickly secure the spoils of this battle.
"Well, it doesn't matter. You'll be fighting those rotten corpses no matter where you go. If you take the east, you'll be going with the house of Count Reven."
"Understood."
"Then, I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yes. Until tomorrow."
I gave the duke a respectful bow, left, and gathered Karox and the knights. I explained the operation's time, location, and precautions to them all.
The next day at dawn.
The undead had swarmed all the way to the second defensive wall, and we were watching them from atop the ramparts.
"Wow, there are so many. But aren't most of them just zombies? With a few ghouls here and there, this should be easy."
"The strong ones are watching from a distance. Unlike these flesh puppets, they have intelligence."
As I explained this to Klyde, I thought about the mastermind behind this incident. He was probably in his hidden cave right now, laughing gleefully as he watched through a crystal ball.
"I'll turn that laughter into tears."
"Wait!"
The sun was about to rise, and I was preparing for the operation when the duke, who had been observing the situation, called out to me.
"Look down there."
"Hmm…"
Amidst the zombies and ghouls with their melting flesh, I saw a knight on horseback clad in pitch-black armor. But this knight was peculiar—he was holding his own head in his left hand.
"Grrr."
The creature brandished the axe in its right hand as it approached the castle gate.
"It's a Dullahan, a high-ranking undead. We need to gather the knights and deal with that one first…"
"That won't be necessary."
I transformed Agnes into a throwing dagger and used Poison Coating.
*Shwaaang!*
The dagger cut through the air and flew toward the Dullahan, embedding itself in its head.
"Yes. Just as I thought."
Those who don't know any better think a Dullahan's weakness is its head. But in reality, the head is its toughest part. Even now, the creature made no attempt to dodge, simply blocking the dagger with its head.
"But that will be the end of you."
"Kuaargh…"
I counted 4.5 seconds in my head, and the Dullahan began to melt.
4.5 seconds and a single dagger were all it took to eliminate a Dullahan, a creature ranked among the high-tier undead.
"Huh?"
"Wh-what was that!"
"My god…"
People were panicking as they watched the Dullahan dissolve in an instant.
"What in the world…"
"Now then, shall we proceed as planned?"