Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: An Invitation and a Mystery
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The Iron-Blooded Duke’s laughter began as a faint curve of his lips, then steadily grew in volume.
It was the first time I realized this stoic, cold man could laugh like that.
The louder his laughter grew, the more sinister it sounded, a laugh truly befitting the Head of the Bednicker Family.
“Ruan Bednicker.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke called my name, his voice still laced with amusement.
Without another word, he walked back to the table and sat down.
“You are correct. The swordsmanship I just demonstrated is still incomplete. That is to say, it has many areas that need refinement.”
“I see.”
“How curious. I have shown this swordsmanship to three people, yet only you realized the truth.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke crossed his legs and looked at Hiiro and Nero.
“Hiiro, Nero.”
“Yes.”
“…Yes.”
“I do not believe your insight is inferior to Ruan’s. Yet only Ruan pinpointed what you failed to realize. What do you think is the reason?”
The two of them thought deeply before shaking their heads.
“I do not know.”
“Neither do I.”
“It is because you deify me too much.”
“…”
The Iron-Blooded Duke continued, all traces of laughter gone from his face.
“I have told you time and again. I, too, can be wrong and think incorrectly. The swordsmanship I created can have clumsy parts, and you might be the ones to discover them. But you two watched my swordsmanship having completely dismissed that possibility, arbitrarily deciding that since I created it, it must be perfect.”
“…”
“In truth, it is not just you two. Most of those within the confines of the Bednicker Family see me this way. It is also why I do not stay at the main estate and train like Hatem of the Goodsprings…”
Then, the Iron-Blooded Duke’s gaze returned to me.
“On the other hand, Ruan. You faced my swordsmanship with clear eyes. It seems certain you do not consider me the strongest. Have you, by chance, met someone of my caliber, or perhaps someone even stronger?”
“…”
A chill ran down my spine the moment I heard his question.
As expected, this man was not merely strong.
Not only was he profoundly cunning, but he also possessed the ability to deduce another’s psychological state from their slightest reactions.
Among all the humans I knew, there was likely no one more difficult to deal with.
Was having such a man as my biological father a stroke of fortune or misfortune?
“…Hard to say.”
Of course, I couldn't just reveal what happened on Spirit Mountain.
The Iron-Blooded Duke stared at me for a moment before speaking again.
“There is no textbook for fighting demons and cultists. That is to say, you cannot establish a standardized strategy as you would against beasts or monsters, because from the High Priests down to the grunts, they have nothing in common. You can only guess at their tendencies based on which faction they belong to.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke continued his explanation in a calm voice.
For instance, the minions of Hadenaihar, the Demon King of the Crimson Moon, are secretive.
The minions of Tangtangta, the Demon King of the Green Tongue, enjoy scheming.
The minions of Kingarodtus, the Demon King of the Golden Horn, are violent and impulsive.
Thinking an opportune moment had unexpectedly arrived, I asked a natural question.
“What about the Colorless Demon King?”
“As far as I know, he has no minions. He is an unusual type for a Demon King.”
“Ah…”
“The Colorless Demon King is a particularly anomalous existence among the Demon Kings. He appeared relatively recently, and his influence has not penetrated deep into the Empire.”
“Then why is he classified as a Demon King?”
“He single-handedly destroyed a nation 100 years ago, so he is more than qualified to be called a Demon King.”
“…”
I was so shocked by his words that I fell silent.
My Eldest Martial Brother, among all of Master's disciples, had a particular aversion to killing.
He would always repent, not just when eating, but even after killing the monsters that lived on Spirit Mountain.
What reason could such a person have to destroy an entire nation?
Going mad is out of the question.
The Supreme Ultimate Arts my Eldest Martial Brother mastered can only be used while maintaining a calm mind.
If he had lost his mind, his strength would have vanished with it.
In that case… perhaps my Eldest Martial Brother is in a state of being very rationally insane.
*What kind of nonsense is this?*
Even I thought it was complete bullshit.
“The swordsmanship I just showed you has no name. Nor do I intend to complete it. I plan to leave that task to you.”
“By that, you mean…”
“Use this swordsmanship as a reference to complete your own martial arts.”
“…”
“The deadline is one year, and you don’t necessarily have to base it on my swordsmanship. Simply using it as a reference is fine. What I wanted to show you was the mindset one must have when fighting demons.”
“Yes.”
“…Understood.”
Hiiro and Nero nodded at the same time.
The Iron-Blooded Duke looked at them blankly for a moment, then spoke.
“You two may leave.”
“Ah, just the two of us?”
“Yes. I still have things to discuss with my youngest.”
At his words, Nero wore a displeased expression, while Hiiro looked at me with that peculiar light in his eyes.
“Understood. Then, Father, we will take our leave.”
“Please take care of yourself.”
The eldest son and second daughter of the Bednicker Family departed.
Only the Iron-Blooded Duke and I remained.
For my part, it was not a welcome development, and I felt rather awkward.
This was the second time I had been alone with the Iron-Blooded Duke, but for some reason, I felt even more uncomfortable than before.
I had no idea what he was going to say.
“I heard you will be participating in the main family’s training assembly.”
“Yes.”
“What is your reason?”
“To become a hero.”
“Do you wish to join [Heros]?”
“That could be part of it.”
“Meaning your ultimate goal is something else.”
I glanced at the Iron-Blooded Duke.
Then, with the feeling of tossing a stone into a lake, I cautiously voiced my goal.
“I’m thinking of taking down a Demon King.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke gazed at me with his lightless eyes and spoke.
“The Colorless Demon King, you mean.”
“That’s right.”
I replied without any particular surprise.
For some reason, I felt that the Iron-Blooded Duke would have been able to deduce that much from our conversation.
“The whereabouts of the Demon Kings are shrouded in mystery. There is even speculation that they do not normally reside in the same world as us.”
“You mean they’re holed up in some kind of sub-dimension like this?”
“That could be, or there might be a separate world where only demons live.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke said.
“I know the whereabouts of the Colorless Demon King.”
“…!”
Startled, I looked at the Iron-Blooded Duke, but the man uttered something even more shocking in a placid tone.
“I have fought him myself.”
The Iron-Blooded Duke and my Eldest Martial Brother had fought.
I couldn't easily predict the outcome.
Both were so powerful that I couldn't measure their strength.
“How was it?”
“He is not an opponent you can challenge at your current level.”
I know that better than anyone.
Perhaps the Iron-Blooded Duke was speaking indirectly.
That even if I asked for his location right now, he had no intention of telling me.
“The locations of the Demon Kings are not fixed. The Colorless Demon King is no different. He has been staying at his currently identified location for quite some time, but there is no guarantee he will remain there forever. For that reason, not only the [Great Families] and [Heros], but an alliance composed of the Empire’s strongest is being prepared.”
“An alliance.”
“An expeditionary force will soon be formed.”
I hesitated, then spoke.
“…Isn’t this classified information?”
“It is.”
“The reason you’re telling me this is…”
“Depending on your efforts, I can get you a spot on the expeditionary force.”
“…”
I thought for a moment, then asked.
“When is the expedition?”
“I do not know. It could be a month from now, or it might not set out even after ten years.”
“What should I do?”
“Participation in the expeditionary force is limited to official heroes, and only those of A-rank or higher. However, I can get one or two people in regardless of their rank.”
“To become a hero as quickly as possible…”
“If you wish, I can create a position for you in Heros as an apprentice, but I would recommend participating in the training assembly instead.”
The words ‘training assembly’ came up once again.
And this time, the Iron-Blooded Duke himself was recommending it.
At this point, I no longer had any reason to refuse.
I finished my thoughts and opened my mouth.
“I will participate. Can I hear more about the expedition after I complete it?”
The Iron-Blooded Duke nodded and said.
“Ruan.”
“Yes.”
“Since you’re going to complete it, aim for first place.”
“…”
I met the Iron-Blooded Duke’s gaze for a moment, then nodded.
“I will do my best.”
* * *
After my private meeting with the Iron-Blooded Duke ended, I returned to the main family’s mansion.
I went back to my room and was resting when, a short while later, Keian came to see me.
“You’ve returned.”
“Yeah.”
“I’m relieved to see that nothing happened.”
I neither confirmed nor denied Keian’s words.
While it was true that nothing *happened*, the content of our conversation had been quite intense.
“My lord, I just heard from the Grand Master Teacher. He said that to participate in the training assembly, you must move your residence by the end of this week.”
“To where?”
“It’s a building north of the forest, outside the main family’s grounds. It was formerly used as a training center for the knights, but now it serves as a dormitory and educational facility for the prospects participating in the assembly.”
“I see.”
“I heard that most of the prospects, aside from you, Young Master, have already moved.”
Since nearly all of them are from other families, it’s a reasonable measure.
Even though the assembly hasn’t started, letting them stay in the main family’s estate wouldn’t look good.
This is because the Bednickers, even among the Great Families, tend to be particularly insular.
“Then I’ll have to move over soon, too.”
“There is still some time, so there’s no need to rush.”
“Alright. I’m going to step out for a bit.”
Keian tilted his head.
“Where are you going at this hour?”
“The underground library.”
There’s no real need to go so urgently, but I'm curious about what my father said, so I plan to go now.
Keian said with a surprised look.
“Did you receive permission from the Family Head?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if the librarian has been notified yet, but they won’t turn me away if I use the Family Head’s name. Speaking of which, do you know anything about the librarian of the underground library?”
“My apologies, but I have never been inside the underground library myself.”
“I see.”
“Why do you ask?”
“The Family Head mentioned it. He told me to be careful of the librarian.”
At these words, Keian’s expression hardened slightly.
“The Iron-Blooded Duke does not give warnings lightly.”
“I know. That’s why I’m a bit uneasy.”
But I’m also looking forward to it.
As I was about to leave the room, Keian spoke.
“Shall I accompany you?”
“No. Besides, I’m the only one with permission to enter.”
“That is true, but.”
“I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Yes. Please be careful.”
After leaving the room, I intended to head straight for the underground library.
But it suddenly occurred to me that I had overlooked one crucial fact.
I didn’t even know where the entrance to the underground library was.
Having no other choice, I walked down the hallway and stopped a passing maid to ask.
“How do I get to the underground library?”
“The underground library? I’m not sure.”
She’s a servant of the main family; how could she not know?
*Is she a trainee?*
She looks a bit old for that.
In any case, I thought little of it and continued asking other servants I came across, but…
“I do not know.”
“I’ve never heard of such a place…?”
“S-Sorry. I don’t know.”
After that, I only received similar answers.
“What is going on?”
I stood in the hallway for a moment, gathering my thoughts.
Unless all the servants of the main family had collectively lost their minds, this situation was definitely strange.
After a moment of deliberation, I stopped a somewhat older maid.
If I remembered correctly, she was the head maid.
A veteran who had likely worked for the main family for over ten years.
This maid reacted differently than the others.
“I am not permitted to say.”
“What do you mean?”
“I have nothing more to say. However…”
The head maid said with a blank expression.
“Be careful.”
“…”
The head maid’s words made my sense of unease feel distinctly more concrete.
I didn’t stop the departing head maid and instead thoroughly searched the vast first floor of the mansion.
And after several dozen minutes, I realized.
This mansion had no stairs leading to a basement in the first place.