Chapter 58
Chapter 58
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Dragon Demon Prince (5)
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Kairen continued, oblivious to Azel's inner thoughts.
"So treat the records about Azel Karzark with a grain of salt. He's not just popular—he's practically deified as a hero, so the exaggerations are off the charts."
"Does Your Grace dislike him by any chance?"
"Me? Azel Karzark?"
"Yes."
"Absolutely not. I was once a boy whose heart raced at his legendary exploits. That's precisely why I want to judge him even more strictly. Even under the harshest scrutiny, he's truly remarkable. Fools don't realize that such wild exaggerations only diminish his true worth..."
"…Ah, I see. I'll keep Your Grace's advice in mind."
Azel quickly cut Kairen off. If he let him go on, the praise—tantamount to a mental assault for Azel—would never end.
"Hmm. Now that I think about it, you do resemble Azel Karzark."
"Do I?"
"At least in appearance. There are hardly any portraits left, but the descriptions match you almost perfectly. And your name is the same—quite the coincidence. Zestringer, even—that wasn't his family name before he became a noble?"
"……."
Azel couldn't help breaking into a cold sweat at those words. He hadn't expected Kairen to know that much.
'Official records only mention Karzark. Must be from unofficial tales.'
Azel realized he'd been careless. From the moment he awoke until now, he hadn't meticulously deceived those around him—he'd just gone with the flow. Who would believe he'd slept for over two hundred years anyway? It dulled any urge to hide or lie elaborately.
Kairen said,
"Your parents must have known about Azel Karzark and named you intentionally. Come to think of it, Zestringer might not even be a family name—just another given name."
"That could be. Hmm..."
Fortunately(?) for Azel, Kairen offered a thoroughly pragmatic theory.
It was common for people to have multiple names. Usually, just the given name and family name were used, but full names often included ones bestowed by blood relatives in between—and they could be quite long.
Take Arietta, for example. Her full official name was Arietta Essenlia Tiaris Rianda Bail Lurein, all the names given by royal elders at her birth piled on.
That's why Kairen knew Azel Karzark's pre-noble family name was Zestringer yet didn't suspect Azel's identity. Who in their right mind would suspect someone of sleeping for 220 years?
Kairen said,
"Speaking of which, it seems Arietta was gossiping needlessly."
"If you're referring to her saying you'd offer me a position in the Tarantos Dukedom, then yes, you did."
"Hah."
Kairen snorted at that. The meaningful tone made Azel tilt his head.
After a pause, Kairen spoke.
"My disciple rejected a royal post, so if I made a similar offer and got shot down, where would my pride be? I've prepared something more enticing for you."
"What kind of offer?"
Kairen's subsequent proposal was something Azel had never even considered.
"How about performing the Dragon Slaying Ritual in my territory?"
7
On the fifth day of his stay at the palace, Azel received an invitation to the estate of House Marquess Jilred, Boer's family.
He had agreed to leave with Kairen when he returned to the Tarantos Dukedom, so he had only a few days left in the capital. He decided to accept Boer's invitation when time allowed.
Riding together in the carriage out of the palace, Boer said,
"You really are popular at court. I could even hear people grumbling to me that you wouldn't accept their invitations."
"The invitation pile would reach the ceiling. It's bizarre—people I don't even know are so eager to see me. I feel like a rare animal."
Azel grumbled. During his palace stay, invitations had become routine, so from the third day, the maids stopped announcing each one and just gathered them for a single report.
The carriage soon arrived at the Marquess Jilred estate. Stepping out, Azel was impressed by the mansion amid the capital's upscale buildings—it was impressively grand. The distance from the main gate to the house required another carriage ride.
"A magnificent estate."
"It has all the essentials, more or less. Even a training hall."
"Hey, you're not planning to spar all the way out here, are you? The Dragon Sword Duke already pesters me daily."
"You're monopolizing his favor. I'm jealous."
"You wouldn't say that if you experienced being hounded every day."
Azel grumbled. Sparring with Kairen daily at the palace was truly...
'Fun. Can't deny that.'
Azel was born a warrior; matching skills with a worthy opponent was pure joy. Trading blows with Kairen was a thrill no other pastime could match.
Boer said,
"Don't worry, though. I won't bother you today. Let's just drink all night."
"Now that's welcome."
Travel demanded constant vigilance against enemies, so he could never get properly drunk. Since awakening in this era, he'd never indulged freely— just hearing about it excited him.
At the estate, Zail was there. Azel asked,
"I wondered why you hadn't returned to the palace. You've been holed up here?"
Zail had been staying as Boer's guest. Noting his attire, Azel teased,
"Seriously, that suits you better than uniform. You could be a society heartthrob."
"Don't tease."
Zail gave a wry smile. But Azel wasn't joking. Without uniform or armor, dressed nobly, Zail looked the refined young lord—hard to believe he'd endured frontier perils.
Not all of Boer's family was in the capital. There was Marquess Jilred, who worked at court; his wife; and the second son, Liwin, a second-grade administrative official. At dinner, Azel greeted them, and both showed keen interest.
After pleasant conversation and the meal, Azel and Zail were led to Boer's room. Boer brought out premium liquor from storage, earning praise from Azel and Zail.
Boer said,
"My father seems very interested in you, Sir Azel. He regretted not having an unmarried daughter to introduce—said he'd introduce a relative, but I stopped him, saying you're leaving without entering society."
"So you can't bear seeing me with a pretty girl?"
"You understand my heart perfectly. I'm delighted."
"Ha. Speaking of, Sir Boer, no marriage prospects? At your age, being wed with kids wouldn't be odd."
Boer was twenty-six, same as Azel. For a noble of good stock, marriage and heirs were expected.
Boer looked sheepish.
"Well, there've been talks, but since I just joined the Royal Knights, I asked them to wait. I haven't made my mark in society yet."
"So not some girl the elders pick—you'll find a sweet one yourself."
"Exactly. I've slaved away in places crawling with rough men for 'career advancement.' Now I want to experience society flowers' fragrance firsthand."
"Hey, don't talk hardship—you've never even washed dishes."
"We agreed to drop that."
Boer laughed. The journey had taught him how naive he'd been; he'd changed a lot.
Zail asked,
"How long do you plan to stay in the capital, Sir Azel?"
"Not sure. Soonest is the day after tomorrow; latest in four or five days."
"That soon?"
Zail and Boer were surprised. With nowhere else to go and Arietta's favor, they assumed he'd linger at court.
Boer said,
"I heard rumors you were leaving soon—guess they're true."
"Even now it's bothersome; staying longer invites who-knows-what. I don't want royal attention either."
He could ignore nobles, but not royals. Lacking ambition for noble society, vanishing before they noticed was best.
Boer laughed.
"You're truly... unlike anyone I know. Ambitionless talent like yours seems problematic."
"Is it?"
"Maybe because I'm noble-born, serving the crown, but there's an old saying: 'A capable hawk hides its talons'—meaning humility's a virtue."
"Why bring that up?"
"In noble society, it's nonsense. Incompetents get scorned, but capable idlers without ambition face brutal criticism. 'Why won't this talented one use his claws to honor his house?' My second brother suffered for it."
"Young and already second-grade royal administrator—he must be exceptional... Was he a playboy before?"
"Sharp mind since childhood, but loved fun too much. Father forced work on him, built results, then made him take the exam. I suffered because of it—Father drilled me hard so I wouldn't grow up a slacker like him."
"I see."
Boer's young quadruple mastery stemmed from talent and effort, backed by family support—which he'd repaid. Spoiled noble scion vibes and arrogance aside, as a warrior, he'd trained diligently.
'Ambition.'
Hearing it from Enora then Boer stirred old memories.
Hard to imagine now, but during the Dragon Emperor War, Azel burned with ambition. Two reasons.
First, as a lowly mercenary, no matter his feats, nobles and knights stole credit—enraging him.
Fighting through injustice, he rose: knighted, built connections, overcame impossible odds, gained fame—no one dared touch him.
Grievances faded, but victories fueled greater ambition.
Simple reason.
'These fools won't cut it. I need command!'
Incompetent superiors' misjudgments repeatedly endangered lives, killed the noble-spirited.
Some even plotted his death out of envy for his promotions—despite humanity's desperate unity.
'Hah.'
Azel chuckled at the memories.
Ancient history. Now, no drive or reason to claw atop others.