ALL NOVEL
Chapter 58
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
Chapter 58: Rest (1)
***
Three days later, Damien and his companions arrived at the Haksen Viscounty.
“Damien! Abel!”
Viscount and his wife ran out in unison when they heard Damien and Abel had arrived safely.
“We heard rumors about the appearance of dark mage at the Jousting Tournament, you don’t know how worried we were. Fortunately, both of you are safe and sound!”
Viscount Haksen wrapped his arms around Damien and Abel.
“Damien, did you finish the Jousting Tournament safely? Are you injured anywhere?”
Viscountess scrutinized him with a worried expression.
“I’m perfectly fine, Mother and to top it off, I even won the tournament.”
There was no prize ceremony, but he had asked the Earl of Copperhead to declare him the official winner.
It didn’t really matter, since Damien was the winner anyway, and numerous spectators, including nobles, had witnessed it firsthand, there were no major issues.
“What? You won? Is that true?”
His father asked in surprise. Damien responded playfully,
“Oh? Are you too surprised? Didn’t you believe in my skills?”
“How could I not believe it! Hahaha, fantastic! Truly fantastic!”
Viscount rejoiced greatly, patting Damien’s shoulders vigorously.
“Where is sister?”
“Louise sent a letter saying she’ll rest a bit more and then come.”
Damien frowned slightly.
Louise had left the estate to meet her fiancé. Damien didn’t like Louise’s fiancé. Compared to Louise, he lacked both in appearance and abilities. Damien wished Louise could meet someone better. But their relationship was too firm for him to intervene.
“By the way, Abel, how did your proposal to the Young Miss of Copperhead go?”
Viscount Haksen inquired. Blushing, Abel replied,
“I, I succeeded.”
“Is that so?” Viscount Haksen’s face lit up with a smile. “Then we should visit the Earl soon.”
“That… there may not be a need for that,” Abel hesitated.
“What are you saying? Planning a wedding is incredibly complex and challenging!”
“Yeah. Thinking back to when we got married… we almost didn’t finish preparing for the wedding day.”
The couple laughed as they reminisced.
“Father, Mother, that’s not it…”
“May I step outside to greet everyone?”
A voice suddenly came from the carriage. Viscount and his wife’s eyes widened.
“Oh, Olivia… wait, just a moment…”
Before Abel could stop her, the carriage door opened. Olivia stepped out of the carriage.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Olivia Copperhead.”
Olivia greeted, holding the ends of her skirt slightly. The mouths of the couple dropped open.
“Abel… di, did I just hear… something?”
“Oh, Olivia Copperhead? Why is the Earl’s daughter here…”
Abel glanced at Olivia, silently asking if he could tell the truth. Olivia nodded.
“Father, it’s because…”
From beginning to end, Abel explained in detail what had happened at Earl Copperhead’s estate.
As the story unfolded, the couple’s mouths widened even more.
“So, to summarize, there was a conflict between Damien and Sofia’s lovers?”
“Yes.”
“Sofia’s lover bore a grudge against Damien and attempted to use dark magic?”
“Yes.”
“Olivia snitched on him, and Damien called the Church beforehand?”
“Yes.”
“The Church raided the jousting grounds and arrested all heretics?”
“Yes.”
“Damien demanded a marriage between Abel and Olivia and half of the estate in exchange for your defense of the Earl?”
“…Yes.”
Viscount Haksen swept his palm across his face.
“Damien!”
Viscount shouted loudly. Startled, Damien looked at his father instead of letting out a yawn.
“Yes, Father?”
“You, you rascal! Didn’t you promise to come back quietly?”
“…Oh, right.”
Seeing Damien’s reaction, as if he had forgotten all this time, Viscount felt his back stiffen.
“Father, I don’t blame you. I was trying to be a good boy, but what can I do when they’re the first to argue, and I can’t stand it.”
Damien sighed and spoke.
Viscount clenched his fist. The more accurate the statements, the angrier he became.
“With this incident, our Viscounty has gained too much attention. Do you know how dangerous this is?”
Due to the Church’s interference with the Jousting Tournament, the Earl Copperhead lost his reputation. Noble guests invited to the event were also suffered.
As if that wasn’t enough, Earl now had to hand over half of their property to Olivia Copperhead.
From now on, the Earl Copperhead would no longer be referred to as a major noble.
In reality, a major noble had collapsed due to Damien. The name of the Haksen Viscounty would now spread widely throughout the western region.
Being famous wasn’t necessarily a good thing; it made it easy to start rumors.
“In the future, many will attack on our Viscouty.Whether they don’t like our sudden fame or want to take it away from us, enemies will overflow.”
Will people just leave an exposed rock alone? For various reasons such as it being bothersome, risky, or a potential threat, they’ll try to destroy it.
Viscount felt uneasy even thinking about it.
“You don’t need to worry about that. If someone dares to mess with us, I’ll crush them as an example. Then everyone will think twice before acting.”
Damien said nonchalantly. The Viscount let out a deep sigh.
“Honey…”
Viscountess placed her hand on her husband’s shoulder.
Indeed, the only person who could understand her husband’s feelings was his wife.
“Now that Abel and Olivia are married, and Olivia inherits half of the Earl Copperhead’s estate… Our Viscounty will become huge, won’t it?”
Viscountess said with her eyes sparkling.
“Already, whenever we go to gatherings, they say our Viscounty is small or out of place but this time, this is a chance for me to knock their noses out of joint!”
“Dear… Right now, that’s not the important thing…”
“Now that our Viscounty has grown, we must think about what to do next. Is there anything more important?”
Her words made Viscount snap out of his trance. His wife was right. The incident had already happened. It couldn’t be reversed.
While the attention on the Viscounty was the matter to worry about, they had gained a lot more than that.
“Miss Olivia, I apologize for keeping you standing for so long. Please come inside.”
“Feel free to call me in. Mother.”
“Oh, mother, mother, she called me Mother!”
Viscountess was so delighted she didn’t know what to do.
“Thank you for welcoming me into your family, Father.”
“Oh, Father…!”
A warm smile spread across Viscount’s face at the unfamiliar title.
“Come in, my child! Come in quickly!”
“Do you have any favorite dishes? Just let me know. I’ll prepare them for dinner tonight!”
The couple entered the mansion with Olivia. The forgotten brothers glanced at each other.
“Let’s go in too.”
“…Yes.”
The two brothers also moved towards the mansion.
Olivia Copperhead adjusted to life at the Viscountcy of Haksen more quickly than she expected.
Not only has she won the Viscount and Viscountess over with her gentleness, but she’s also broken down barriers with the servants by helping with the estate’s lack of manpower.
“The blades on the windmill are worn out, and I think it would be a good idea to have them repaired this winter.”
“I heard that the Silence family’s lady is pregnant. How about sending some good food for her health?”
“In winter, nomads from the north come to sell sheep and goats. If we buy them cheaply at that time, we can make a big profit later.”
Before they knew it, Olivia had taken charge of the affairs of the Viscounty. She went around the estate, resolving inconveniences for the residents and offering helpful suggestions.
“Thanks to Olivia, everything is much more comfortable.”
During dinner, Haksen spoke with a satisfied expression.
Olivia expressed her gratitude with a slight nod.
“The servants are saying the same. They’re thankful for Olivia taking care of things.”
Olivia’s abilities were outstanding and praised multiple times by the couple.
‘Indeed, she’s a capable woman.’
Damien also highly evaluated Olivia. He recognized her efficiency not only in her strong actions but also in her exceptional abilities.
‘Abel got a good partner.’
Though Damien was the eldest son, he had no intention of inheriting the Viscountcy of Haksen. He planned to leave it to Abel.
Not only did he lack interest in managing the estate, but there were also other things to do. He couldn’t be tied down to the estate.
When Abel eventually took over the Viscounty, Olivia would become a great support.
As Damien was thinking about this,
“Damien, it’s about time you find a good person too.”
At his father’s words, Damien choked on his drink.
“Cough! cough! why are you suddenly saying that?”
“Did I say something unreasonable? It’s about time for you to consider marriage.”
“Even without saying, I keep getting proposals from here and there… Can’t I choose later?”
Even his mother subtly persuaded him with a sly smile.
“Marriage seems too early for me…”
“What are you talking about? While there may be late marriages, there are no early marriages for men.”
“Above all, a man needs to settle in one place. That’s the only way to have stability.”
As soon as Damien expressed his refusal, his father and mother poured out words like a waterfall.
“You should also meet a good person soon. Abel is getting married, and if you, as the older brother, stay alone, it doesn’t look good to others…”
“The daughter of Viscount Childe is said to be gentle and talented. I’ll set up a meeting. She’s of marriageable age, too…”
Damien heard their words with one ear and let it out with the other.
***
After finishing the meal, Damien headed to the forest. He planned to focus on training all day today. However, when Damien arrived in the forest, he couldn’t concentrate on his training. His mind was too complicated.
“…Marriage.”
Damien looked up at the sky and murmured.
He had never thought about it before. The idea of getting married and creating a family had never crossed his mind.
“I have no intention of getting married. Well, not yet.”
Damien quickly came to a conclusion.
“…It’s not a privilege for someone like me, a killer.” In his past life, Damien, as a Death Knight, slaughtered many people. Someone’s child, sibling, husband, wife, parent.
He turned everyone into corpses. Of course, it wasn’t by choice. It happened under the domination of Dorugo. However, the fact that he killed them remained unchanged.
“Originally, such concerns are a luxury for me.”
To contemplate marriage, Damien had too many responsibilities.
“Doruo, that bastard needs to be torn to pieces.”
Damien’s face contorted like a ghost. His teeth clenched involuntarily due to the surging anger.
“This time, I won’t kill him easily.”
Killing Dorugo would complete the revenge. It was a way to atone, even if just a little, for the sins committed in his past life.
Damien sharpened his goal once again. Now that the goal was set, it was time to make an effort. Damien stood up for training.
He opened a spatial ring and took out the The Art of Sacrificial Raging Demon Manifestation.
The Art of Sacrificial Raging Demon Manifestation was a technique that allowed for the accumulation of mana while in motion. It also served to bolster muscle strength.
The only drawback was its limited capacity for absorbing mana. Damien planned to overcome this drawback using the Supreme Absorption Technique.
“Combining the two Mana cultivation techniques, I will create quite a refined technique.”
To reach the level of a master, Damien needed to complete a perfect Mana cultivation technique.
Without a proper Mana cultivation technique, one couldn’t advance to higher levels.
“That’s right. I almost forgot.”
Damien also took out the heart of a spirit from the spatial ring.
In order to absorb the spirit heart, he needed to continuously inject mana into it to dissolve it.
From today, Damien planned to keep the spirit’s heart with him, continually infusing mana.
“Shall I move my body after a long time?”
Damien drew the Thousand Mile Sword. Utilizing the The Art of Sacrificial Raging Demon Manifestation, he swung the sword.
In an instant, Damien immersed himself in training.
Damien’s training didn’t end until evening. As he was about to put the Thousand Mile Sword back into the spatial ring and return home,
“Young Master! Young Master!”
Victor came running from afar. Damien asked with a puzzled expression.
“What’s going on?”
“There, there’s a guest from the Church!”
At Victor’s question, Damien made a puzzled expression.
“From the Church?”
“Yes, yes! The Holy Knight who helped us in Landwalk City last time personally came!”
Agnes, a disciple of Cheongyeom. Hearing that she had come, Damien put away the Thousand Mile Sword into the spatial ring.
Damien returned to the mansion with Victor.
Agnes was standing in front of the mansion. However, the atmosphere was quite different from usual.
“Apologies for suddenly coming, Sir Damien.”
Agnes spoke. Her voice was exceptionally gloomy and dark.
“I came today to make a difficult request.”
“A request?”
“We’ve identified the dungeon of the Corpseplay.”
At her words, Damien’s pupils dilated.
“Please lend your strength to eradicate the evil.”
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]