Chapter 300
I Became the Successor of the Martial God
Chapter 300.
“Elf. How did you get here…?”
Hayden, who had been showing hostility, lowered his sword upon seeing Delowin.
She stepped forward.
“Do you remember the Ruwinid Forest? I was the one who led the elves living there.”
“Ruwinid Forest…”
Hayden let out a sigh.
It was the place where the kingdom suffered a great failure and the catalyst for the intensified hunting of the demi-humans race.
From that day on, the kingdom fell into irreversible chaos.
“…Have you come to resent me?”
“No.”
Delowin shook her head firmly.
“I’ve come to ask for your help. Sir, please… help me. Help us.”
“What do you want me to help with?”
“To stop the hunting of the demi-humans race in the Kingdom of Baim… and to free those who have lost their liberty…”
“Free them?”
Hayden scoffed.
“That is a matter decreed by His Majesty the King. I am a knight who serves him. I cannot defy his will.”
“You’ve already defied it.”
“……”
Yoo Baek-jun, having deactivated his Aura Install, interjected into the conversation.
“A mansion with hardly any people, soldiers watching the surroundings… It seems you’ve already fallen out of favor, no?”
“Nonsense.”
“I’ve heard about you. A commoner-born knight commander, the kingdom’s only Sword Master. Deeply respected, and for that very reason, the king is wary of you.”
“Do not insult His Majesty.”
Hayden, who had been expressionless, scowled and growled.
He looked almost like a wild beast.
But Yoo Baek-jun showed no trace of fear as he spoke.
“I heard you opposed the hunting of the demi-human race since the Ruwinid Forest incident. Why?”
“Why should you know?”
“You must have known such actions would destabilize your position.”
Hayden didn’t answer. But as he turned his head, his eyes met Delowin’s.
He bit his lip.
“Because I couldn’t tolerate it.”
“Tolerate what?”
“……”
Hayden exhaled deeply.
He looked out the window with troubled eyes, then finally made up his mind.
“As you know, I’m of common birth. To be precise, I was an orphan. A child abandoned by my parents.”
He decided to speak of his distant past.
Because otherwise, they wouldn’t understand his actions.
“My parents were merchants who traveled between cities. From what I remember, they didn’t make much. The kind who lived hand-to-mouth.”
“…What were your parents like? Were they good people?”
“No, of course not.”
Hayden smiled bitterly.
“They abandoned me on a trade route. Left me alone in a forest where no one went. I suppose they couldn’t bear the hardship of raising a child.”
“That’s…”
“I was abandoned, and the forest was full of monsters. There was nothing I could do. I just waited to die.”
That’s what he had thought.
“But the beastkin saved me.”
The place where Hayden had been abandoned happened to be within the territory of a beastkin tribe.
They found the abandoned child curious, took him to their village, and eventually raised him.
“I had to leave when I came of age, but I still consider those beastkin my benefactors.”
From them, he learned the skills to survive—including swordsmanship.
Yoo Baek-jun glanced at Hayden’s physique.
‘That bodybuilder-like frame… Did he get that from the beastmen too?’
His body was rugged, almost like an ogre’s.
“Now, the nobles… and even the royals treat beastmen as mere animals. The demi-human race is no different. Just an inferior species compared to humans.”
As Yoo Baek-jun entertained such trivial thoughts, Hayden’s anger flared.
“But that’s not true. They possess intelligence no different from ours. To enslave them like this…”
“You couldn’t tolerate it?”
Hayden nodded.
His upbringing had greatly influenced his decisions.
Though the results hadn’t been favorable.
“Sir, that’s why I’m asking you. Please help us…”
“I have no power, elf.”
Hayden spread his arms wide, as if gesturing to his mansion.
“Look at this dilapidated place. The servants who managed this mansion, even my subordinates—all have been driven away.”
He looked at Yoo Baek-jun.
“You’re right. His Majesty distrusts me. He hasn’t forgiven me for defying his orders.”
“Confined to this mansion? For how long?”
“…A long time. In that time, my knight order, my limbs—all have been severed.”
Hayden smiled bitterly.
“A sword that doesn’t obey its master is useless. That’s all.”
“So, you’re just going to rot here, doing as the kingdom says?”
“Someday, an opportunity will come.”
“An opportunity?”
Yoo Baek-jun let out a derisive laugh.
“I’ve achieved great things in swordsmanship. If a major war breaks out, they’ll call for me. Then… I’ll prove my loyalty to His Majesty again.”
“And what about the demi-human race here?”
“…That’s…”
Hayden took a deep breath, as if his chest felt tight.
After a long moment of contemplation, he turned away decisively.
“Leave.”
“Sir…”
“The most I can do is pretend I never saw you.”
“So, you’re giving up like a coward.”
“What did you say?”
Yoo Baek-jun mocked Hayden.
“You had the courage to defy the king’s orders, but you’re too scared to go any further. Isn’t that right?”
“You—you know nothing!”
“I know nothing? Hmm.”
Yoo Baek-jun gripped Grandal.
Hayden tensed, expecting an attack, but it never came.
“The one who knows nothing is you. Let me show you.”
“What? Grr…!”
Grandal emitted a dark light, filling the room. Hayden clenched his eyes shut.
When he opened them again, he was standing in an unfamiliar passageway.
“Where is this? You—!”
“Where else? The capital. Keep quiet unless you want trouble. Tch, you’re just a big, useless lump.”
“What?”
Yoo Baek-jun used an item—one imbued with magic to obscure perception. People would hardly notice Hayden now.
“Follow me.”
Yoo Baek-jun walked briskly, and Hayden reluctantly followed.
Soon, they reached a door.
“Look. See what’s been happening while you were locked away.”
Yoo Baek-jun opened the door.
Beyond it lay the city’s underground—a bustling slave market.
“Th-this is…!”
At first, Hayden blinked in confusion, unable to grasp the scene.
But only for a moment.
“They’re… selling the demi-humans race?”
Hayden looked around.
The underground market was disgustingly vast, lined with iron cages.
Inside them, demi-human slaves were being traded.
“How… how could this be…?”
Hayden staggered, likely from the shock. But there was no time to dwell on it.
Yoo Baek-jun guided him to where a gladiatorial match was taking place.
“Yes, kill him! Kill him!”
“Hahaha! Look at that dog-faced bastard go!”
People were laughing and cheering.
And below—
—Kraaah!
—Ah, no… stop…
Demi-humans were fighting for their lives in the arena.
Among them were beastkin.
“The beastkin…!”
Hayden’s eyes widened.
The beastkin, their eyes bloodshot, fought like wild animals.
A bloody battle for survival. But what shocked him more—
“This is…”
—was the sight of the audience.
“What’s so funny?”
The nobles, lounging in their seats, sipping drinks and laughing.
To Hayden, it was utterly revolting.
“This is the capital? This disgrace is happening beneath the kingdom? How…?”
Having been stripped of power for so long, Hayden had no idea such things were occurring.
Let alone beneath the capital itself.
‘This wouldn’t be possible without the higher-ups turning a blind eye.’
Hayden felt dizzy.
Nearby, a beastkin race slave was being dragged away.
“Aah! No! Let me go!”
“Grr! How dare you!”
Hayden, enraged, moved to intervene—but Yoo Baek-jun stopped him.
“Why are you—! No… you’re right.”
Hayden shook his head.
“We’re here in secret. Drawing attention would be…”
He bit his lip so hard that blood trickled down his chin.
“Do you understand now?”
“…Yes.”
Hayden laughed hollowly.
“It seems I was the one who knew nothing.”
His expression darkened.
“I defied His Majesty’s orders. After that, I was too afraid of the consequences. I only cared about my own safety.”
He had foolishly hoped that if a great war broke out, the king would summon him again.
That he could prove his loyalty and regain trust.
“But this isn’t the time for such thoughts.”
He looked around the underground.
“This is wrong. All of it…”
This wasn’t the kingdom he had wanted to protect.
The nobles and royals were running rampant, and there was no telling how far they would go.
He couldn’t stay idle any longer.
“Still hesitating?”
“……”
Hayden turned away.
“Let’s return to the mansion. There, I’ll hear your plan.”
“Sir…!”
His words were as good as accepting Delowin’s plea.
A promise to help free the demi-humans.
***
Yoo Baek-jun brought Hayden back to the mansion.
After hearing his proposal, Hayden smiled bitterly.
“You’re asking me to rebel?”
Under normal circumstances, he would have beheaded anyone suggesting treason.
Now, the thought didn’t even cross his mind.
“A commoner becoming king? Before questioning how absurd that is, there’s something else.”
Hayden glanced around the mansion.
“I have no soldiers. The Golden Wolf Knight Order is being run by a proxy appointed by the king. Most of the knights still follow me, but…”
That wasn’t all.
“There are spies in the order. If I make a move, they’ll report it.”
“I’ll handle the spies.”
Yoo Baek-jun gestured behind him.
From the shadows, Jeon Soo-yeon emerged with a sullen expression.
“Of course, it’s my job…”
She grumbled, but no one paid her any mind.
“Even if you deal with the spies, there’s another problem. My closest subordinates.”
“Transferred to other knight orders, I assume.”
“…You’re well-informed.”
Hayden looked surprised.
“Yes, the warriors who fought alongside me in countless battles. All transferred away.”
“Can you recall them?”
“…I have a way to contact them.”
Hayden raised his hand, showing a gleaming ring on his thick finger.
“This lets me communicate with them. The problem is distance. Many are stationed far away.”
“…I’ll handle that too.”
“Are you sure?”
Yoo Baek-jun sighed and nodded. With the Thunderbird’s help, it wouldn’t be too difficult.
‘Just incredibly annoying.’
“You’re so capable it’s hard to believe, but… fine. The next issue is timing.”
“Timing?”
“Yes. The kingdom’s knight orders conduct large-scale training every quarter.”
Hayden spread his fingers.
“Exactly one week from now, the Falcon Knight Order will leave the kingdom for training. If we can…”
“Prevent them from returning. Got it.”
“Right. Without the Falcons, our chances of success rise significantly.”
The Falcons weren’t pushovers. They were elite.
Stalling them wouldn’t be easy.
But not impossible.
Yoo Baek-jun recalled the staff stored in his subspace.
The King of the Dead.
“Time to put it to use.”