Chapter 240
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 240
Chapter Title: The Black Rose Clan
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Tzzzzzzt—.
For some reason, it felt like I could hear the sound of a fuse burning somewhere.
Just before Verita's eyes completely spun around, I hurriedly doused her with cold water.
"Ah! Big brother was playing hide-and-seek again?"
"What?"
"But your tone is a bit off. People outside might misunderstand. Haha!"
"......"
The moment I forced out a laugh, Nero shot me a look like I was insane. Without even understanding my feelings.
I turned to Verita, who looked slightly puzzled, and said.
"Come to think of it, Ve... Razbet."
"Yes?"
"I'm suddenly craving something super sweet like crazy. I wonder if this city has a pastry shop or something."
"There should be a branch of [De Marlin Tea House]."
"Perfect. Could you grab some cookies from there?"
"Yes!"
Verita replied energetically and dashed down the hallway past Nero.
I let out a sigh as I watched her disappear at an astonishing speed.
Nero, who had been watching the whole scene, suddenly asked.
"How the hell did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"How did you tame that woman?"
"Tame her?"
That wasn't something you said about a person.
I let out a hollow laugh, and Nero responded with a scoff before speaking.
"The Blood-Flame Mace."
"Hm?"
"The strongest heresy inquisitor. The secret weapon of the 72 Sects."
"......"
"Mad dog, psycho nun, one-eyed killer... All those are nicknames for that woman. That's the short version—if you gathered all the nicknames given by the heroes she'd gone on missions with, there'd be dozens."
Even just hearing the nicknames was intimidating.
They didn't feel like ones fitting for a nun, and that held true even considering she was a heresy inquisitor.
That meant Verita—as Razbet—hadn't particularly hidden her true nature while operating.
Despite her appearance, she had a violent side, and her temperament was rough. I'd wondered how she'd kept her identity hidden so well, but now I knew the reason.
In short, it was a case where her bizarre personality was overlooked thanks to her skills and achievements.
"Why is someone that famous only taking the promotion exam now?"
"That's a mystery to me too. Razbet Nun's skills have been A-rank worthy since she first joined Heros. Yet she chose to stay at C-rank all this time. Seeing her take the third exam with you, it seems her mindset has finally changed."
"Hm."
For some reason, continuing the conversation about Verita felt burdensome, so I blatantly changed the subject.
"By the way, what was that earlier? Why is Hiirro trying to kill me?"
I had no major conflicts with Hiirro.
Unlike with Hector or Raizen, he wasn't a fanboy, and we'd never had any deep conversations.
We didn't even have enough contact for grudges to form, so receiving a murder threat out of nowhere left me baffled.
Nero crossed her arms and said.
"Because you're the biggest obstacle to Hiirro achieving his goal."
"Obstacle?"
"Father said he's planning to bring you into the Black Rose."
"Ah—the clan."
When the Heavenly Cleaving Sword tried luring me into that [Heavenly Cleaving Sword Squad] clan...
The Iron-Blooded Duke, who was beside me, brought up the Black Rose to brush it off.
At the time, I'd thought it was just to save face for the Heavenly Cleaving Sword while refusing without offense, but apparently not.
"No, but is he really trying to kill me over something that minor?"
I knew it was a powder keg family, but this seemed excessive.
I was aware his children were desperate to rack up achievements and checked each other, but they'd never gone as far as murder.
"Minor? Do you know nothing about the Black Rose?"
"Nope."
" Unbelievable."
Nero sighed and explained.
"The Black Rose is Heros' one and only one-man clan."
"What's a one-man clan?"
"A clan with only one member."
"That's intriguing."
"It's more than intriguing. All clans have ranks, and higher ranks come with stricter requirements—including member count. Normally, an A-rank clan needs over a hundred members. Yet the Black Rose is A-rank with just one."
"How?"
"Does it need explaining? That one person is the great Iron-Blooded Duke—Delac C. Bednicker."
Flames sparked in Nero's subdued eyes. It was the heat called admiration.
Pride seeped into her voice too. Regardless of anything else, I could tell Nero truly followed and respected the Iron-Blooded Duke.
The depth of that loyalty was probably no less than Hector's.
"On average, an A-rank clan handles about 12 to 13 missions per year at that rank. Father not only meets that standard every year but occasionally solos even S-rank missions."
"Oho..."
I ended up admiring the Iron-Blooded Duke for entirely different reasons.
It made sense why that man spent fewer than ten days a year at the main estate.
In Heros, he handled the workload that would take hundreds of heroes...
As a middle name holder, he also had to fulfill imperial orders periodically.
As Family Head, the documents he had to review and process must pile up like mountains. For a great house like the Bednickers, it was inevitable.
From our previous conversation, he seemed to have several disguised identities too.
Adding personal tasks outside of work, the Iron-Blooded Duke was living a life where three bodies wouldn't suffice.
Suddenly, I grew curious.
So what was the driving force that made the Iron-Blooded Duke live such a life?
Hope?
Despair?
Or duty?
Iron-Blooded Duke.
Delac C. Bednicker.
My father.
'Father.'
Even just rolling the word on the tip of my tongue felt awkward.
I'd called him 'Father' a few times at the main house, but that was for a purpose—I'd never truly seen the Iron-Blooded Duke as my sire.
I couldn't.
Thinking back, neither in my past life nor this one had I ever regarded the Iron-Blooded Duke as my father.
To me, Delac was the Iron-Blooded Duke, the Family Head, and nothing more.
I still had no complaints about that distance.
But...
Lately, I couldn't stop my curiosity about the man known as the Iron-Blooded Duke from budding.
Nero said.
"Everyone said it. When the time comes to recruit for the Black Rose, the first person will definitely be Hiirro Bednicker."
That was true.
Hiirro Bednicker was the child who received the Iron-Blooded Duke's greatest favor.
The wastrel Ruan from my past life hadn't even dared look up at him.
A monster one step above geniuses like Hector and Nero.
From a few years from now, he'd probably roam around with the Iron-Blooded Duke, resolving disturbances across the lands.
In other words, joining the Black Rose had been Hiirro's position in the natural order of things.
'His position is shaken, so he's lost his mind?'
And to the point of losing his reason enough to kill me... Honestly, it was hard to picture.
The Hiirro I remembered had little emotional fluctuation, different from the Iron-Blooded Duke.
Always languid, seeming bored, uninterested in everything.
"Of course, it's not just because of that."
"There's more?"
"Yeah."
Nero's gaze turned to me.
"You became the master of the Lesser Iron Blood Hall, right?"
Ah.
* * *
"...Pardon?"
Hiirro Bednicker asked again.
It was rudeness he'd never commit under normal circumstances, but there was no helping it—he'd heard something far beyond expectations.
"......"
Fortunately, the Iron-Blooded Duke's reaction was the same as always.
No anger.
No hint of displeasure.
His hand mechanically moved the pen while his characteristically flat voice precisely repeated the words.
"The Bednicker Family's Vice Family Head is Ruan Bednicker."
"......"
Hiirro's usually languid eyes changed. It was the emotional side he occasionally showed only to the Iron-Blooded Duke.
The Iron-Blooded Duke didn't meet that gaze.
His dark purple eyes scanned both the family documents from the main house and the mission list from Heros simultaneously.
"Why?"
"Why?"
Only then did the Iron-Blooded Duke's gaze reach Hiirro at his eldest son's retort.
"You're asking a strange question, Hiirro. I didn't expect you to retort like that, at least."
"Pardon?"
"Last year during dinner, I called Ruan instead of Hector."
Hiirro remembered it too.
A special space accessible only with Asad's magic ring.
That dinner time was a place for rewards and punishments, a privilege granted only to the Iron-Blooded Duke's three most favored children.
"Yet Hector came to me unsatisfied. What did you say to Hector then?"
He remembered this too.
—He doesn't deserve it.
"......"
Hiirro shut his mouth.
The Iron-Blooded Duke continued.
"Ruan has outstanding skill and achievements beyond that. I received reports, evaluated them, and granted rewards fitting his feats. As always. So I'll say it once more. The reason I'm bringing Ruan into the Black Rose is because he has the skill, and the reason I appointed him Vice Family Head is because his achievements surpass all other children by an overwhelming margin."
"...Stopping the Demon King's descent is undoubtedly a great achievement, but I understand it wasn't Ruan alone. With Hector and the other leaders, the members of the special task force led by Bater Goodspring, and above all, the great mage Olderson's help—"
"Correct. And they all said Ruan provided the most decisive contribution—even Bater Goodspring's bloodline."
"...Bater did."
"Your face says you can't accept it, so I'll tell you one more thing. It'll be announced soon anyway. Ruan killed the High Priest single-handedly."
"......!"
Hiirro's eyes widened hugely.
For someone who rarely showed emotions, it was as good as shouting in shock.
The word 'how' rose to the tip of his throat, but he barely swallowed it.
It was the Iron-Blooded Duke himself who had said it.
He would have already verified the truth.
That made it even harder to accept.
As an A-rank hero and Bednicker, Hiirro knew.
One High Priest's head was worth far more than several cult bases or thousands of followers.
The danger of communicating with the Demon King.
The pure strength inherent in his existence.
And the Ghost Path technique ensuring escape in perilous moments.
There might be many heroes stronger than the High Priest...
But that's why so few had actually eliminated one.
'...That guy really took down the High Priest?'
Hiirro thought of Ruan Bednicker.
Truthfully, until hearing the news of that punk entering the Black Rose, Hiirro had completely forgotten the platinum-haired boy even existed.
He'd witnessed him taking Hector's place but hadn't felt the need to check him.
He'd never met anyone threatening enough to warrant checking.
Even Bater Goodspring, whom he'd clashed with once in the past and tied with, was the same. That tie was due to the age difference.
If they fought now, Hiirro was confident he'd overwhelm him.
He'd never deeply pondered his own superiority. It was simply fact to him.
His younger sister Nero Bednicker occasionally showed surprising prowess, but he'd never seen her as a rival either.
Yet to think he'd be overtaken by the youngest he'd not only ignored but completely forgotten.
"Any more questions?"
The Iron-Blooded Duke said.
Likely permitting one final question.
By then, Hiirro had regained his composure, but he felt his heart faintly pounding.
Bewilderment turned to interest, and crossing with his inner confidence produced a result he'd never experienced.
"Just one more thing."
"Speak."
"If I kill Ruan Bednicker, will the Black Rose spot—and the Vice Family Head position—become mine?"
The monster Hiirro revealed his fighting spirit.
It was a huge change for the Hiirro who approached everything half-heartedly.
But to the Iron-Blooded Duke, his eldest son's shift wasn't surprising.
He simply shook his head and advised.
"You still haven't shed your arrogance."
"Pardon?"
"It's not the resolve to kill. Fight with the resolve to die."
"......"
"Otherwise, you'll be the one who dies."