Chapter 189
Chapter 189
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 189
Chapter Title: Demon King's Castle (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Sword Lord's question, tossed out softly.
Anyone else would have immediately bowed their head and answered, but Gordon was different.
He slowly lifted his lips from the teacup held in both hands before replying.
“I was wondering why you contacted me first... Was it because of that?”
His voice carried a subtle hint of amusement.
Gordon's demeanor toward the Sword Lord was astonishingly relaxed.
Even though he was kneeling, there was no trace of stiffness anywhere in his posture.
He showed respect and courtesy, yet the atmosphere transcended the vertical relationship of master and subordinate.
Whether in official or private settings, Gordon was the only one in Yoram who could converse with the Sword Lord in such a manner.
This was possible only because he had served the Sword Lord for over forty years.
Of course, it wasn't just because of the long time spent together.
There were others who had been by the Sword Lord's side for extended periods.
But to sit face-to-face with the Sword Lord and share tea?
That was something they couldn't even dream of.
The factor that created this difference was simple.
Gordon was a 'powerhouse acknowledged by the Sword Lord.'
Because he was someone granted qualifications by the Sword Lord himself, he could spend time like this.
Slurp-.
After taking a short sip of tea, Gordon savored the aroma and opened his mouth.
“As reported, the youngest young master was defeated in this quest.”
“You seem pleased.”
At the Sword Lord's words, Gordon gave a faint smile.
“Isn't it amusing? I had no disagreement with the idea that the next few years in Yoram would be the youngest young master's world. For the situation to change so suddenly like this...”
“No need to beat around the bush. You're just happy that my son lost to Johan’s disciple, aren't you?”
“You embarrass me by saying it so plainly.”
“You sly fox. I know you've been secretly supporting that child.”
When the Sword Lord mentioned using his authority to raise the grade of the elixir Yuri would consume, Gordon's face stiffened slightly.
“…You knew?”
He asked, but Gordon knew full well it was a meaningless question.
There was nothing the master of Yoram, the Sword Lord, didn't know.
So Gordon relaxed his stiffened expression and replied.
“It’s a child I've been rooting for in my own way.”
“I recall that you and Johan were quite close.”
“…That's all in the past.”
Gordon wore a bitter smile.
“But how is the investigation into that child progressing?”
It was a sudden question, but Gordon instantly understood what the Sword Lord wanted and answered.
“As for matters related to the Moon House... There haven't been any particular reports yet.”
“I see.”
Slurp-.
The Sword Lord took another short sip of tea with an expressionless face.
His deep eyes revealed nothing of his inner thoughts.
‘I've served him for over forty years, yet I still don't fully understand this man.’
Sword Lord Luke Rider.
The world saw him as an absolute being, an incarnation of destruction, but Gordon, who had watched him closely for so long, knew that was not the whole story.
Sometimes the Sword Lord was like calm water, other times a fire that erased everything.
He could show encompassing mercy, yet also reveal the form of a ferocious demon.
Unfathomable, unpredictable.
But above all, a person harboring a pure longing for 'strength.'
That made him all the more terrifying.
That was Gordon's insight into the Sword Lord, gained over decades.
As Gordon reflected on those decades...
The Sword Lord tossed a thin booklet toward him with a flick-.
Gordon looked questioningly at the booklet that landed on the table.
“What is this?”
“It's a commentary on my insights into Black Blood, written down to a level that child can comprehend. Take it to him.”
At those words, Gordon's eyes widened slightly.
The Rider bloodline.
In particular, all of the Sword Lord's sons and daughters had passed through Yoram.
But the Sword Lord had never given any of his children special treatment.
He had only granted rewards according to Yoram's principles.
Something like privately handing over his personal insights like this had never happened even once.
But the unprecedented event didn't end there.
“I permit the opening of the Black Dragon Vault to the winner of this Martial Dragon Tournament.”
“…?!”
Gordon's eyes widened round in an instant.
He was so shocked that, uncharacteristically, he even asked again.
“Truly... the Black Dragon Vault?”
The Sword Lord did not answer Gordon's question.
He simply brought the teacup to his lips with a serene face.
Seeing this, Gordon inwardly clicked his tongue.
‘Heavens... to open the Black Dragon Vault.’
Black Dragon Vault.
Among the many warehouses in Yoram, it had the highest security rating.
It was the greatest treasure trove housing the Sword Lord's personal collection.
And in Yoram's fifty-year history, while it had been opened for other reasons, it had never been opened for quest rewards even once.
‘Just... what is he thinking?’
The Black Dragon Vault opened to the winner.
Was this the Sword Lord's affection, assuming his youngest son would win?
Or was it a test thrown at Yuri: if you want the reward, defeat Kwanter once more?
‘Whatever it is... this Martial Dragon Tournament will be quite the spectacle.’
A smile thick with anticipation spread across Gordon's lips.
* * *
Late October, when the sweltering heat had retreated and cool winds began to blow.
“…Cool.”
“It's majestic.”
“I'm hungry!”
“Impressive.”
Theresia, Arin, Ppoppi, and Gunter stood in a row, each muttering a word.
At the end of their gazes stood the result of mixing their blood and sweat for nearly six months.
A rectangular outer wall with a triangular roof.
Four spires at each corner.
And sharp wooden spikes embedded thickly on the roof and outer walls to prevent external intrusions.
It looked like a grotesque square chestnut at a glance, but to the four of them, it was a precious and cool home above all else.
How could it not be?
The time they had been exploited for labor, unable even to use their precious vacation passes due to the crime of forging a bad connection.
During that time, they had been forced to pour their hearts into it.
So much so that old memories welled up fresh, bringing tears to their eyes.
“Now... it's finally done, right? Really?”
“We were only told to do the exterior. He said he'd handle the interior himself. If he makes us work more here... I'm seriously going on strike!”
“I'm hungry!”
Gunter full of doubt, Arin clenching her fist tightly.
Even Ppoppi blowing out a strong snort as if joining the strike.
They were slightly excited, wondering if they could finally use their vacation passes like everyone else.
It was then.
“You idiots.”
A calm voice drifted in.
The three heads naturally turned, and there stood Theresia with a self-deprecating smile.
“It's already too late. Don't you get it yet? We'll never escape that guy.”
“…Senior Theresia?”
As Gunter looked at her strangely, Theresia replied with a face of resignation.
“Can you imagine it?”
“Huh?”
“Our lives without Yuri's cooking.”
“…….”
“I... I just can't imagine it. Maybe I've already... become a body that can't live without him. Ah... yes, I've definitely been tamed like a pig!”
“……?!”
At Theresia's realization and self-reflection, the 51st Batch trio imagined it.
Giving up Yuri's cooking they'd eaten so far and returning to dry rations.
But that was truly unimaginable.
So the three simultaneously felt chills run down their spines.
‘Oh, my god! It's true!’
‘I... I've been completely tamed?!’
“I'm hungry!”
They had realized after several months that they were tamed pigs or slaves, but they were already beyond the point of no return.
In particular, Theresia, who had realized it sooner than anyone, wore a somewhat pessimistic expression.
“I... I'll be a full slave rather than a hungry free person. I'll just do whatever Yuri tells me to and get food in return.”
Quick situational judgment and quick surrender.
Shocked, Arin grabbed Theresia's shoulders and shook her.
“T-Theresia Senior! Don't give up! Go back to that proud and haughty you from before!”
“…Too late. I don't even remember what I was like back then.”
“No, no way!”
Arin wailed as she shook Theresia.
Wobble wobble-.
Theresia's resigned head lolled limply back and forth.
And right then.
Boom!
A sudden explosion rang out, halting the four's movements simultaneously.
They turned their heads toward the sound and muttered in unison.
“Again?”
* * *
A room filled with acrid smoke billowing up.
Cough cough-.
Cough hack-.
Two different coughing sounds echoed.
Soon, a thick hand roughly smacked a soot-covered head.
Thwack-!
“Hey, you bastard! I said to add it moderately!”
The head that had pitched forward shot up with an irritated shout.
“Damn it! That's why I'm asking, what the hell is ‘moderately’ supposed to mean!”
At Yuri's protest, Se-kyung snorted and crossed her arms.
“Can't you tell just by looking? The moment you see it, you get a feel—add exactly this much, boom.”
“Yeah, no feel at all?”
“Idiot.”
“Argh, that's why I'm asking how much it is!”
“About this much!”
Seeing Se-kyung pinch a bit of white powder, Yuri pouted.
“Ah... annoying. This is why geniuses are...”
Alchemy was all about precise measurements and quantities, wasn't it?
Yet this damn old coot was handling everything by rough eyeballing and handfuls.
‘The most annoying part is that her eyeballing and handfuls are more accurate than my scale measurements.’
Grumbling, Yuri measured the ‘this much!’ Se-kyung had shown on the scale and recorded it.
Then Yuri mixed various powders into the bowl again.
And finally, one result was completed.
“Done! Check it!”
Se-kyung eyed the mottled powder Yuri held out and shot a disdainful glance.
“What's this trash?”
“Trash? I made it exactly like you taught me!”
“I never taught you how to make trash like this.”
“What are you talking about? I did exactly what you said. Did you teach me wrong?”
Yuri shouted indignantly and held out his measurement record.
“Tch. Give it here.”
Se-kyung snatched the record with a short click of her tongue and demonstrated herself.
Scrape scrape-.
Using a small measuring spoon, she scooped various powders onto the scale and showed off to Yuri.
The amazing thing was that with just one scoop onto the scale, it was exactly precise—no need to add or subtract.
Thanks to that, production happened at an incredible speed, and soon a purely red powder appeared in the mortar.
Yuri's pupils shook greatly at the sight.
“W-What... This can't be...”
It was so bizarre and amazing that he was left breathless.
Clearly, Se-kyung's measurements and ratios were no different from what was written on the record.
Meaning they were the same as his.
So why did the results come out so differently?
Unable to comprehend, Yuri suspected first.
“Tell me straight, old lady... You added something else when I wasn't looking, right?”
“What else? It's just that your hands are shit.”
“Sh-Shit hands?”
Yuri, who had prided himself on his dexterity all his life, was hearing ‘shit hands’ for the first time.
Seeing Yuri frozen in shock, Se-kyung clicked her tongue.
“Tch tch, just as cooking has its touch, alchemy rides on your hand's energy.”
Se-kyung said this and sneered at Yuri.
“Well, whatever that alchemy crap. You thought you'd master metallurgy in one go, so same here?”
“…….”
“Pfft! Is there bullshit this top-tier? As if.”
“…….”
“Of course, if you give one talent, you take one away. Yep, that's justice! Justice is alive! Pfuhuhu.”
Even as she mocked him thoroughly, Yuri couldn't retort much.
Because her words were true.
Yuri had started seriously learning metallurgy and in just a month, drained all of Se-kyung's secrets, building confidence.
He thought he'd do the same to her alchemy in one go.
But what was this?
Cooking? Cooking.
Sculpting and all fields of art.
Various crafts and metallurgy too.
Whenever it involved hands, Yuri showed astonishing genius, but his alchemy talent was utterly average.
In this situation, only Se-kyung, who had been stripped of her metallurgy by him, chattered excitedly.
“Argh, at your age, I could do this combo blindfolded!”
“…Yeah, I'm sure you could.”
“Why not just quit? You got no talent for this.”
“Alchemist granny, I think I get how you feel a bit now.”
“What feeling?”
“Why you clung to metallurgy even though you couldn't do it.”
“…….”
“Damn, this really fires me up? I'll master this alchemy thing... until I do!”
At Yuri's strong resolve, Se-kyung, who had nodded with a face of ‘Oh, I know that feeling well,’ suddenly snapped to attention and yelled.
“W-What nonsense! This body is a genius who encompasses both alchemy and metallurgy, that's why I didn't abandon metallurgy! Didn't Johan tell you? That I was the genius touted as the next Meister?”
“Yeah yeah, I heard. So how did that promising genius end up as an exile like this?”
At Yuri's casual toss, Se-kyung's face turned gloomy.