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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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Chapter 196: Strange Encounter (1)
***
Afterward, Damien accompanied Liam Bluegreen to visit his parents.
“You’re going to the Empire?”
His father’s reaction was far from pleasant. His mother was the same.
“I have no choice since His Majesty requested it, but…”
“It hasn’t been long since that chaos at the festival. Do you really have to go?”
Count and Countess Haksen seemed to wish that Damien would rest at home for a while.
This was because it had only been a few days since he had almost been killed after being caught up in the battle between the Transcendents.
“Father, Mother. It’s not just anything, it’s the Helian Tournament. If not now, I don’t know when I’ll be able to participate again.”
There was an age limit of 25 years old to participate in the Helian Tournament.
However, the Master Class was open to those up to 40 years old. This was because it was such a difficult level to reach.
“I understand your feelings, but…”
The Helian Tournament was the largest knightly competition on the continent, so every man dreamed of winning the tournament in his youth and gaining popularity and fame.
Count Haksen also had such memories when he was young, so he couldn’t hold Damien back firmly.
“Alright, I’ll allow it.”
After much deliberation, he allowed Damien to participate in the Helian Tournament.
“But I have one request.”
“What is it?”
“This time, please… please don’t get into any trouble and go and come back safely.”
Damien replied to his father’s earnest request as if he didn’t understand what he was talking about.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. ‘This time’? I’ve always been quiet.”
Count Haksen sighed.
***
With his father’s permission secured, there was no longer any reason to delay.
Damien headed to Marquis Ryanbloom’s estate with Liam Bluegreen.
“Brother!”
Michael, having received prior notice, came out of the castle to greet Damien.
“I apologize for not visiting you often!”
“No need to apologize. We’re both busy.”
“I heard you ascended to High Class… The rumors were true! That’s amazing! As expected of you, brother!”
“It seems like it won’t be long for you either.”
The last time Damien saw Michael, he had just ascended to Middle Class.
It seemed he had been dedicated to his training since then. He was now on the verge of the peak of Middle Class.
“I still have a long way to go.”
Michael scratched the back of his head shyly at Damien’s praise.
“What do you mean a long way? You just need to take one more step.”
“Really?”
A bright expression appeared on Michael’s face. But then he immediately frowned again.
He had noticed Veronica standing behind Damien.
“Why are you here?”
“What? I didn’t want to come either. He dragged me here and I had no choice.”
Veronica pointed at Damien and yelled angrily.
Michael then turned to Damien, as if asking if that was true.
“That’s true. Sir Liam said he was short on participants, so I brought her.”
“I didn’t know there were such circumstances. Veronica! If brother brought you here, you should accept it with gratitude. What’s with that insolent attitude!”
Veronica looked dumbfounded at Michael’s reprimand.
“If you keep this up, you’ll die by my hand.”
“Do as you please. I haven’t trained so poorly that I would lose to a lowlife like you.”
“Oh, you’re so great. Then shall we check that?”
Veronica gripped her twin swords. Michael also grabbed the sword that had been hanging on his back.
The murderous auras they emitted clashed in the air. A tense atmosphere hung around them.
“If you fight, you’ll both die by my hand.”
But at Damien’s words, the two of them quickly dropped their sword hilts.
“Michael, what are you doing, a knight, getting carried away by such provocation?”
“I apologize.”
“And Veronica, I said that if you killed someone, you would die by my hand.”
“Ah, no… I didn’t mean to kill him for real…”
Both of them were flustered as Damien stepped forward.
“That’s incredible. You’re able to control those troublemakers so firmly.”
Liam Bluegreen watched in admiration.
Michael Ryanbloom was a lone general who even his father, the Marquis, couldn’t do anything about, and Veronica was not a person who would listen to reason.
And yet, these two were at a loss for what to do at Damien’s words.
“Sir Liam, let’s depart now.”
“I understand. Let’s get going.”
Damien boarded the carriage with the four of them.
The carriage departed for the Empire, escorted by troops sent by the kingdom.
***
The journey was extremely comfortable.
Until now, Damien had always traveled alone, so he had to camp out frequently.
However, this time there were many people in the party, and they were traveling under the name of the Apple Kingdom.
“Aren’t you Lord Liam? You’re looking for a place to rest on your way to the Empire? Please come to our castle!”
“The Helian Tournament…! You were going to bring glory to the kingdom! I will gladly open up my territory!”
Thanks to this, they were able to stay at the estates of nobles instead of camping out.
And so, after a few days, the party was able to cross the border of the Apple Kingdom and arrive in the neighboring country of the Dophlin Kingdom.
“Stop.”
Soldiers of the Dophlin Kingdom stopped the party as they were crossing the border.
“Where are you coming from?”
The soldiers spoke with faces full of wariness. There were over ten soldiers to only three knights escorting the carriage.
It was natural to be wary when carrying such a large force.
“We are from the Apple Kingdom. We are on our way to the Empire to participate in the Helian Tournament.”
The soldiers’ eyes widened at the knight’s words.
They looked at each other’s faces and even murmured in small voices.
‘Why are they reacting so strangely?’
The Apple Kingdom and the Dophlin Kingdom shared a border and had frequent interactions, so they were one of the familiar kingdoms.
Even so, the soldiers seemed to be overly surprised by the words “Apple Kingdom.”
“… Please wait a moment.”
One of the soldiers went inside the city gate. After a while, the captain of the guard who was in charge of the gate appeared.
“Do you have pass?”
In response to the captain’s question, the escorting knight handed over the pass. It was a document that the King of the Apple Kingdom had sent to the Dophlin Kingdom in advance.
The captain took out a monocle and inspected the document. It seemed to be a magic tool for checking if the seal on the pass was genuine.
“I have verified it. You may enter.”
At the captain’s words, the soldiers opened the gate wide. The party passed through the gate.
It was as they were passing through the gate.
Damien overheard the captain’s words to the soldiers.
– Knights have arrived from the Apple Kingdom. Contact him immediately.
There was a series of suspicious things happening, from the soldiers’ reaction at first to the captain’s words.
Damien spoke to Liam Bluegreen, who was sitting across from him.
“Sir Liam, the atmosphere is strange.”
“Do you think so too?”
Unsurprisingly, Liam Bluegreen was thinking the same thing as Damien.
“That’s strange. The Apple Kingdom and the Dophlin Kingdom are supposed to be on friendly terms.”
Liam Bluegreen stroked his chin and fell into thought.
“We might as well be cautious just in case.”
“I understand.”
Despite Damien’s worries, the party did not encounter any further incidents after that.
Far from encountering any incidents, they only received help.
Like the Apple Kingdom, they were able to use the estates of nobles in the Dophlin Kingdom.
They were about to leave the Dophlin Kingdom when it happened.
As it was late at night, the party decided to visit a nearby noble and stay for the night.
“You’re from the Apple Kingdom! Welcome!”
This time too, the noble readily agreed. The party was able to unpack their belongings in the noble’s castle.
“You must be tired from your long journey. I’ll have to catch a wild boar today.”
The lord was a very hospitable man.
Not only did he not mind their sudden visit, but he also prepared a lavish banquet.
They had never received such hospitality even in the Apple Kingdom. The party enjoyed the food and drinks with gratitude.
“Brother, try this too.”
Michael was busy taking care of Damien even during the meal. He would bring food to Damien as soon as the plate in front of him was empty.
“He’s pathetic.”
Veronica muttered to herself like that and focused on her meal.
She cut the meat on her plate and put it in her mouth. The whole sequence of movements was so neat that it even had an air of elegance.
Unlike her usual rough behavior, she had perfect table manners.
‘Could she be from a noble family?’
Come to think of it, Veronica was handling her mana very delicately. This meant that her mana cultivation was of a high level.
I wondered if she might be from a knightly family.
Damien was thinking about that when.
“My lord, just a moment…”
The steward approached the lord and whispered something. The noble’s eyes widened.
“Is that really true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Oh my… for him to visit my territory.”
The lord got up from his seat in a hurry and addressed the party.
“Excuse me in the middle of the meal. I would like to invite one more guest to this table.”
Everyone in the party looked at the noble. Then, Liam Bluegreen asked with a puzzled expression.
“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“I know it’s impolite, but such a precious guest has come to visit…”
Liam Bluegreen looked as if he had no idea what was going on.
“I’ll take you inside and explain.”
The lord gestured. The steward then opened the banquet hall door.
Two men entered the banquet hall.
A middle-aged man and a young man.
They looked alike, as if they were father and son. Both of them had black hair and blue eyes. They had wide noses and thin lips.
The lord approached the two men. The middle-aged man then opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry to come without notice.”
“No! You don’t have to think like that! It’s a great honor for me.”
“That’s a relief.”
Contrary to his words, the man’s expression was extremely arrogant. It seemed that the conversation just before was just a formality.
“Are those the guests from the Apple Kingdom?”
The middle-aged man asked, looking at Damien and his party seated in the banquet hall. The lord nodded.
“Would you like me to introduce you?”
“Of course!”
The lord nodded with a broad smile as if it was the greatest honor.
“Everyone, please say hello! This gentleman is the pillar of the Dophlin Kingdom, the greatest idol of the knights, and the brightest shining sword…”
After all sorts of flowery compliments, the man’s name was revealed.
“Master Class Javier Silva!”
***
Damien didn’t know all the masters.
He only remembered the ones he had met in person and who had made an impression on him.
Javier Silva was different, though: he remembered him even though he had never met him in person.
‘I never thought I’d see a traitor to humanity here.’
During the War of Destruction, several Masters had abandoned their duty to defend their country and sided with Dorugo.
As a result, the Empire and the Human Alliance suffered great damage, and some kingdoms even fell.
One of those traitors was Javier Silva.
No, Javier Silva was not simply one of the traitors.
He’s the reason the Eastern Alliance fell.
During the War of Destruction, the kingdoms of the eastern part of the continent formed a coalition to fight alongside the Empire. This included the Apple Kingdom.
The Empire sent a number of Knights and Master class to support them.
However, Javier Silva’s betrayal caused the Eastern Alliance to collapse before it had a chance to fight.
“Sir Javier, it is an honor to meet you.”
Liam Bluegreen stood up and offered Javier Silva a handshake.
But Javier Silva didn’t shake his hand. He just looked down at Liam with disdain.
“Speaking of putting the cart before the horse…… I didn’t think you deserved it.”
Liam Bluegreen’s face flushed red at the words.
Liam Bluegreen was a marquis of the Apple Kingdom. He was in no position to speak highly of another country’s nobility.
What Javier Silva was pointing out was Liam Bluegreen’s class.
He didn’t think high class could match his master class.
“……Excuse me.”
“Be careful what you wish for.”
Liam Bluegreen blushed even harder.
But he couldn’t protest. What he had in front of him was a master class.
“I got the call that you were coming, and I’m here in a hurry.”
Javier Silva put a hand on the shoulder of the young man standing next to him.
“That’s my son. He’s a high-class participant in this Helian Tournament.”
Javier Silva gave him a haughty look.
“We are on our way to the Empire as well, so I will accompany you on your way.”
***
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HEL SCANS
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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