Chapter 80
Chapter 80
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>Translator: Lord First
>Chapter: 80
>Chapter Title: Meeting the Parents (1)
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*
“Ugh, I thought I was going to die of boredom.”
Mord rolled his shoulders with a crack as he left the university gates. The Knight Academy classes were excruciatingly dull. There was nothing for a man who had lived through the war to learn at the university level.
The training was tedious, the sparring was laughable, and the tactics lessons were nothing more than someone reading from a manual. He’d learn more from a sparring match with the Huscarls than he ever would here.
“Alright. Time to go see my kids!”
Pritschenka was a bleak city, but Mord, a true man of Droan, had managed to find a suitable hobby.
Surprisingly, it was volunteering at an orphanage.
It had started out rather coercive and humiliating… but did the reason really matter? As long as he was genuinely enjoying himself, that was all that counted.
With a newfound lightness in his step, Mord walked toward the orphanage.
Just thinking about those clever little kids brought a smile to his face. They were affectionate, lively, bold, and even brimming with talent.
‘Though I have no idea how they manage to fool my senses…’
He’d almost drawn his axe when they’d managed to sneak up behind a seasoned Huscarl like him and shout, “Boo!” But then again, the director of that place was no ordinary person.
“Mord.”
“…?!!”
Startled, Mord’s hand flew to his hip as he stumbled back. A chilling, terrifying bloodlust had suddenly swept through the alley.
It felt like a wolf lurking in the darkness, ready to tear out his throat at any moment.
That dreadful killing intent—honed, yet untamed and wild—surged from the mouth of the alley.
‘Crazy…!’
Mord swallowed hard. It was a familiar sensation. Besides the Seven Dragon Generals, only one other person possessed such a potent aura. He recognized it instantly. This was… this was…
My brother, and he’s pissed…!
Why? Why is he here…?
“B-Brother…?”
Was there anyone in Pritschenka, in this entire city, who could stop his enraged brother? No, that was the wrong way to put it. It wouldn’t take a person, but an army.
Was there an army in this city that could stop *that man*…?
“Your reports have been lacking.”
“Brother, wait a moment. I don’t understand. How did you get here…? You, you could have at least told me you were coming…”
“I received a letter from Esidis.”
A letter from Esidis…? What in the world did his niece say to make his brother rush all the way here from distant Droan, glaring at him with such murderous intent?
“Who is he?”
“…Pardon?”
“I asked who the man is that Esidis is going to marry.”
An explosive ferocity erupted with every syllable.
*Ah, Esidis. What have you done?*
He cursed his thoughtless niece as he looked at the man before him. The Terror of Demons, the Sea of Blood and Corpses. Einar the Annihilator.
Mord gulped, slowly setting down his weapon and carefully kneeling.
As if doing so would at least grant him a peaceful death.
Despite the hot summer sun, the alley felt as cold as ice.
“Tell me. Who is the bastard Esidis has been seeing lately?”
“Well… that is…”
Mord’s mind raced. Who could it be? He had been watching over her, ensuring no man dared to approach Esidis.
His watch had admittedly slackened during his volunteer hours, but surely there would have been some sign.
When young, hot-blooded youths fell in love, it was impossible to hide it from the eyes of a veteran warrior like him.
But… but the only man Esidis had met recently was…
‘Huh…?’
Ivan Petrovich.
Mord’s expression hardened. There was one. Ivan…! The one who recommended a vegetarian diet to Esidis and occasionally helped with her training…
But the age difference… no, before that. Ivan wanted to marry Esidis? Did that even make sense?
Mord’s head spun. Should he say it? Ivan would never harbor such thoughts.
He couldn’t believe that man even possessed romantic feelings. He wouldn’t have the time for it, and besides, Mord owed him his life.
No.
A man of Droan never forgets a debt.
Mord’s eyes flared with firm resolve. He lifted his head defiantly.
“…”
A young man stood at the mouth of the alley, looking down at him.
The dense demonic energy he carried, and the immense rage that always flowed through his veins, had even defied the aging process. A monster, perfectly preserving the body of his youth, of his prime.
One of the men who had long since transcended the limits of humanity. Meeting Einar’s gaze after so long, his eyes shone with a sharpness that felt like it could tear one’s soul apart just by looking.
But Mord, too, was a man of Droan. A warrior of Droan would never… never.
“It’s Ivan Petrovich, brother!!”
After all, a life debt wasn’t heavier than the bonds of brotherhood. He could always repay the debt later.
Like a steadfast Droan Huscarl, Mord decided to remain loyal to his brother.
“That bastard is dead.”
“That’s what I thought too! Brother, that son of a bitch is alive!!”
“Hmm…”
The haze of bloodlust shimmering around Einar faltered. He frowned, a look of bewilderment on his face.
“He survived slaying a Dragon General, you say.”
“Yes, brother!”
“That… is surprising.”
Einar turned his head and let out a low growl.
“Find him.”
““Yes, brother!!””
The Huscarls who had been leaning against the alley walls and fences scattered, rushing off to comb the entire city.
Ep 13. Meeting the Parents
On a lazy afternoon, Esidis lost her war against the musical notes.
It was a valiant end, worthy of a Droan warrior. At least she had done her best.
She had been dozing off over a sheet of music half-covered in scribbles when she suddenly shot her head up with a start.
“Guh…?!”
She hastily wiped her mouth and looked around. Thankfully, no one else on campus seemed to be paying her any mind.
Stretching with a groan, she gathered her sheet music. That’s when her eyes caught sight of something strange.
Like a bizarre giant hopping between walls before disappearing…
Dressed in clothes one would only see in Droan, roaming the school grounds and alleys…
“What the, am I still dreaming…?”
Esidis stared blankly at the scene before shaking her head. *Have I been too tired lately? What kind of dream is this? Why would my uncles be in Pritschenka… wait, uncle*s*?*
Her eyes met with one of the men. He grinned brightly, waving a thick, muscular arm.
“Oh, Esidis, have you been well!”
“Uh… uh huh…?”
“See you later, our little princess! Your uncle is a bit busy right now!”
The berserker who had spoken to her so warmly then leaped over a wall and vanished.
Esidis stood there with her mouth agape, then looked around. Terrified students were screaming, huddling together, and fleeing in every direction!
“It’s… not a dream!!”
Esidis shrieked and shot to her feet, running in the direction her uncle had disappeared.
Why! Of all places, at my school! Why have my uncles come here in a pack!
*I won’t let you ruin my school life any further!!*
She had half given up on the orchestra club, and she was just starting to get along with the kids from the vocal music department!
Esidis screamed as she sprinted toward the university gates.
*
Elizaveta didn’t even notice the pen that had slipped from her fingers as she demanded clarification.
“…Repeat that, Sir. Am I dreaming right now?”
“No, Your Highness.”
The Lord Chamberlain was kneeling at her feet, drenched in a cold sweat. He, too, was having trouble logically explaining the current situation.
“It seems Great King Einar is in Pritschenka… that is, um, in this city.”
“‘It seems’? What on earth does that mean? Either he is, or he isn’t.”
“Well… it appears he entered the country illegally…”
“What in the world is the immigration office doing to have so many illegal entries this year alone… No, never mind. Why would the king of another nation sneak into a foreign country… No… never mind that either. Did he… did he come alone?”
“No, Your Highness. We have confirmed at least ten soldiers, presumed to be Huscarls.”
“God help us.”
Elizaveta clutched her forehead and groaned for a long moment.
“He’s not just sitting quietly, is he? Has he shown any signs of… trying to start a conflict?”
“It appears he is searching for someone, but we have observed no other unusual activity so far. Perhaps we should summon the Capital Defense Force…”
“You want to throw an army in front of Einar? Haha, you have a dark sense of humor, Sir.”
Elizaveta was a veteran of the war, one who had experienced the front lines. At a young age, she had served as the commander of the Annihilation Squad, whose initial purpose was to provide rear support for the Hero’s Party.
In other words, she was one of the few people who had witnessed the Hero’s Party in combat firsthand on the battlefield.
‘Einar was chosen to fight against entire armies.’
Veolgrin the Fortress Breaker and Einar of the Bloody Sea were specialists in one-versus-many combat. When facing them, the quality of the troops was far more important than the quantity.
More importantly, Einar was now the king of Droan. No one could fathom why a king would secretly cross another nation’s border, but who could possibly understand the mind of a man who thought of nothing but fighting?
The current commotion could escalate into a war depending on Elizaveta’s choices. She suddenly felt a sharp pain in her stomach.
“What is the Foreign Intelligence Department doing that they couldn’t even detect the disappearance of a foreign king? Huh? What am I supposed to do now…?”
Elizaveta pressed her brow and whimpered. She was on the verge of bursting into tears.
The festival she had so carefully prepared had blown up in her face, her romantic pursuits failed at every turn, the nobles refused to listen, and the military was still whispering restlessly.
And amidst all that, the king of Droan, one of her few allies, had suddenly invaded, completely ignoring all diplomatic procedures and channels to run rampant through her city.
She sniffled, feeling a spasm in her stomach. This was all Aleksandr’s fault, that bastard. She decided to believe that.
“Vanka… bring me Vanka.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
There were only two people in this city who could possibly stop Einar.
Enrique and Ivan. Since Enrique was currently away… Ivan was the only one she could rely on.
At least Ivan knew Einar, which was a relief. She shook her head and rose from her seat.
“No, tell Vanka to come find me. This is a matter I must handle myself.”
“But Your Highness, it’s too dangerous!”
“If Einar has infiltrated this city with other intentions, then there is no safe place in this city.”
With weary eyes, Elizaveta left her office.
*
At that very moment, Ivan was face to face with Einar.
“You son of a bitch.”
Einar growled like a beast.
“I thought you were dead…!!”
He had even placed flowers on Ivan’s gravestone. With a complex expression mixing betrayal and relief, he stared into Ivan’s emotionless eyes and said:
“You’ve become quite the man!”
“Eck.”
Isabelle, who was standing beside Ivan, grimaced.
She looked at Einar’s intricately braided beard, then at Ivan’s face, and slapped her forehead.
“Men from Droan.”
*