Chapter 209
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 209: Shocked (3)
***
The Colosseum’s interior erupted into a frenzy in an instant.
“An aurablade?”
“Woah, is it a fake?”
“Don’t be ridiculous. How could there be a fake aurablade?”
The knights stared at the aurablade Damien had created, their faces filled with shock.
“A Masterclass has been born in the Apple Kingdom.”
“The balance of power on the continent will shift.”
“We must report this to our homeland immediately.”
Unlike the Empire or the Church, in other kingdoms, Master Class knights were rare beings, appearing perhaps once a century.
As such, the influence a Master Class had on surrounding kingdoms was immense once one was born.
“But how old is that guy?”
“Even if he’s stretching the truth, he can’t be older than mid-20s.”
“A Masterclass at such a young age… I can’t believe my eyes even though I’m seeing it.”
It was Damien’s age that made the wandering knights interested in him, as they were not affiliated with any kingdom.
There weren’t many instances throughout history where someone ascended to Masterclass in their 20s.
“Even the Empire would have a hard time finding someone this talented.”
“Only someone like the Imperial Supreme Sword or the Sword Saint could do it.”
“I did hear rumors that a new monstrous talent had appeared in the Empire recently.”
“Perhaps the winner of the tournament has already been decided.”
The antagonistic gazes changed in an instant.
The people looked at Damien with eyes filled with shock, awe, and reverence.
“It seems the proof is complete, so we’ll be taking our leave now.”
Liam led his group out of the Colosseum.
Even after they left, the Colosseum buzzed with talk about Damien.
***
Damien and others exited the Colosseum without a word.
“Brother! Did you see that? They were all so stunned by your aurablade that they couldn’t even make a peep!”
As soon as they stepped outside, Michael rejoiced as if it were his own achievement.
It seemed he was in a good mood after giving those who had initially ignored Damien a taste of his power.
“Why don’t we go in and rest quickly instead? I’m getting tired now.”
Veronica said, yawning. Michael glared at her and scolded her.
“Everything is decided by brother and Sir Liam. Middle-Class people like you should just stay quiet.”
“What, what? Are you done talking?”
“No, there’s more. Don’t complain about being Middle-Class.”
Veronica’s face turned beet red at Michael’s teasing. However, she couldn’t bring herself to argue with him.
Ignoring the two of them, Damien asked Liam.
“Sir Liam, where should we go now?”
“Just wait a moment. I told them to send someone here once we got a room.”
As if on cue, a soldier wearing the armor of the Apple Kingdom came running from a distance.
“I apologize for the delay. It took us a long time to find a room…”
“It’s fine. Did you find a room?”
“That’s…”
The soldier’s expression hardened.
“All the high-class inns, and even the decent ones, are fully booked.”
“Is that really true?”
“Yes, there are some inns left… but they are all of low quality…”
Liam’s expression turned troubled at the soldier’s words.
He had come to the Empire as an envoy of the Apple Kingdom, so he couldn’t just choose any inn.
What’s more, if they stayed in a bad inn, they wouldn’t be able to recover from their fatigue properly. It could have a negative impact on the Helian tournament.
“What should we do…”
Liam fell into deep thought. While observing Liam’s troubled expression, Damien recalled something he had forgotten.
“Sir Liam, I heard that there are many mansions in the imperial capital that have been prepared by nobles from other regions.”
“That’s right. There are many mansions that the nobles use when they are on business in the capital… Surely you’re not suggesting we rent one of those mansions? I’m sorry, but that’s not possible.”
Liam shook his head.
“The nobles will only rent out their mansions to kingdoms they have close ties with. For a weak kingdom like our Apple Kingdom, it’s a pipe dream.”
The Empire was the most powerful on the continent, and its nobles held power comparable to that of kingdoms.
“You don’t have to worry about that.”
Damien opened his subspace and took out an old silver ring.
“What’s that ring?”
Liam asked with a curious expression.
“This is a ring that symbolizes the successor of Duke Lichteawer.”
“Ah, I see. It’s quite valuable for something so old…”
In the next instant, Liam’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out of his head.
Duke Lichteawer was one of the seven great families that symbolized the Empire.
They were one of the few families who could speak out against the Emperor, who held absolute power.
“Why do you have something so precious?”
“I received it directly from the successor of Duke Lichteawer.”
It was a few months ago when Damien had embarked on a journey to the headquarters of the Church.
On his way there, Damien had happened to meet the successor of Duke Lichteawer.
Her name was Rachel Lichteawer, and she was the person who would one day be known as the Sword Empress.
At that time, Damien had won a duel against Rachel, and in return, he had received this ring.
“She said she would repay me if I took this ring… I think I need to use it now.”
Damien tossed the ring into the air, caught it and said.
“Let’s go to Duke Lichteawer’s mansion.”
As Damien was about to leave with his group to Duke Lichteawer’s mansion, the door of the tavern burst open and a man was thrown out.
His hair was disheveled and his clothes were in rags. He smelled of sweat and grime as if he hadn’t washed in a long time.
“No money, no booze! If you come to my place again, you’ll be dead for sure!”
The woman who appeared to be the tavern owner spat out a string of insults and slammed the door shut.
“Water… someone give me water…”
The middle-aged man lay on the floor, mumbling drunkenly.
Of course, no one offered him any water. They all just passed him by with disgusted looks on their faces.
“What a pathetic human being.”
Liam Bluegrin muttered, clicking his tongue.
“Sir Damien, then let’s get going… where are we going?”
Damien approached the middle-aged man. He bent down and looked into his face.
“Haah…”
Damien let out a long sigh. It was because he recognized the face.
Damien took out a water bottle from his subspace and handed it to the man.
“Water! Water!”
The man opened the bottle and gulped down the water. Then he lay back down on the floor and fell asleep again.
Sigh!
Damien sighed again and called over a soldier.
“Carry this man.”
“Huh? This beggar?”
The soldier asked in surprise. Damien nodded.
“Yes, carry him. Treat him with respect, don’t just throw him around.”
At Damien’s command, the soldier reluctantly picked the man up on his back.
“Sir Damien, why are you picking up this beggar?”
Liam asked with a puzzled expression. Damien answered casually.
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
***
‘Bored.’
The future Sword Empress.
Rachel Lichteawer was currently battling intense boredom.
“I-It’s an honor to meet you, L-Lady…”
It was because of the man sitting in front of her.
A large build like a bear, overly developed arms, and a face full of beard.
Despite his bandit-like appearance, the man was blushing in front of Rachel.
“Y-You’re even more beautiful than I heard you were!”
“You’re flattering me.”
“No, I’m not! I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as you, Lady Rachel! N-Not that I’ve seen many women, though…”
Rachel suppressed the urge to jump up and leave immediately.
Rachel was not originally a very patient person. However, she needed to be patient with this man.
Bradley Heath.
The second son of Marquis Heath, a genius who had ascended to Master Class at a young age in his late 20s.
Even Duke Lichteawer’s family could not ignore such a person.
“L-Lady Rachel… H-Have you been seeing anyone lately…”
“No.”
Bradley’s face brightened considerably. Rachel couldn’t help but smile wryly at his expression.
It was all too clear what this man wanted.
Most of the men who met Rachel had the same reaction. So it was impossible not to know.
However, Rachel had no intention of reciprocating Bradley’s feelings.
It wasn’t just that Bradley wasn’t her type, but she also had no plans to get married at all.
‘I’m so busy training my sword, what kind of marriage is this?’
She wondered how she could naturally get rid of Bradley. As she was thinking,
“Lady, I’m here.”
The door to the reception room opened and a man entered. It was David, Rachel’s attendant.
“David, don’t you see that we have a guest?”
Rachel said with a feigned stern expression. But her true feelings were completely different.
‘David. Thank you for coming in when the time is right.’
‘You’re welcome.’
Rachel and David quickly exchanged glances.
Having been together for so long, this level of communication was easy.
“I apologize. I thought it was a very important guest…”
“An important guest?”
“A knight from the Apple Kingdom has brought a ring with Duke Lichteawer’s crest on it.”
A knight from the Apple Kingdom, a ring with the Duke Lichteawer’s crest.
The moment the two words combined, one person came to mind.
“Surely…?”
“Yes, Sir Damien Haksen is here.”
Rachel’s face broke into a bright smile. Rachel rose from her seat without realizing it.
Bradley looked at Rachel with a surprised expression.
“Lady Rachel?”
“I’m sorry. But I have a very important guest.”
Rachel said something vague and ran out of the reception room.
How could she forget the name Damien Haksen?
The man who had defeated her, the greatest talent in the history of the Lichteawer family, in one fell swoop.
Since then, Rachel had devoted herself to training. With the sole determination to defeat that man, she had risen to the ranks of High Class.
‘Finally, I can get my revenge!’
Rachel almost flew down to the first floor. As soon as she saw Damien’s face, she shouted loudly.
“Damien! You haven’t forgotten our promise, have you? Duel me right now…”
However, the moment she saw Damien’s face, Rachel lost her words.
It was because of the atmosphere she felt from Damien.
Just approaching him made her feel like her body was getting heavy. Her instincts kept sending her warnings.
She had felt a similar feeling several times from her father and other knights when she was at the main house.
“…Master Class?”
Shock appeared on Rachel’s face.
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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