Chapter 200
Chapter 200
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Hidden Intentions (1)
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That night, the Silva father and son's campsite was shrouded in silence.
The soldiers and knights stood motionless, not even daring to breathe properly, their eyes fixed on the two men.
It was the complete opposite of the boisterous campsite of the Apple Kingdom, set a little distance away.
“…….”
Havier Silva and Joshua Silva sat across from each other with the campfire between them.
Neither had spoken a word since earlier, both just staring into the flames.
“We lost.”
Havier spoke first. His voice was exceedingly heavy and gloomy.
“It was shocking. A high-class swordsman, utterly crushed in a way that’s hard to believe.”
Joshua merely bowed his head in silence. Havier continued regardless.
“The more I think about it, the more ridiculous it seems. When that guy picked up the stick, I thought he’d lost his mind…… But to actually beat you with it.”
With that, a long silence followed.
The knights on watch gazed at Havier with tense expressions.
It seemed as though he might berate Joshua at any moment.
Suddenly, Havier broke into a broad smile.
“Finally, you’ve found a talent that suits you.”
“As expected, Father thinks the same.”
Joshua nodded in response.
“I thought the rumors were exaggerated…… But after fighting him myself, it’s all true. Worth seeking him out.”
“Indeed. But no matter how I think about it, I can’t understand it. Blocking an aura-infused blade with a stick? I have no idea how he did it.”
“Could it be that even Father can’t do it?”
Havier frowned slightly at Joshua’s question.
“Strictly speaking, it’s not that I can’t. It just doesn’t suit my aptitude. Didn’t I tell you before? Master-class fighters each have their own specialized techniques.”
“Yes, I remember.”
“It’s possible only because Demian Haksen has a talent for Flowing Sword. As I said, it’s not that this father can’t do it. It simply doesn’t align with my nature.”
Joshua nodded as if he understood.
“That reminds me. I’ve heard the Empire’s Sword Saint uses a similar sword style.”
“Then Demian Haksen…… has Sword Saint-level talent?”
Anticipation swelled in Joshua’s eyes.
Who was the Sword Saint? One of the Empire’s emblematic swordmasters.
“He might even surpass that. Didn’t that arrogant wench say he reached high-class in less than a year? Even the Sword Saint couldn’t do that.”
Thinking of Veronica Sanchez twisted Joshua’s expression.
She had a pretty enough face that he’d taken some interest, but she turned out to be outrageously rude.
“Treasures belong to those qualified to hold them. No matter how I look at it, that talent is too good for the likes of Demian Haksen.”
“So…… you intend to take it.”
Havier nodded at Joshua’s question.
“A little further, and we’ll reach the Gorak Mountains. It’s a shortcut to the Empire, but so dangerous that most avoid it entirely.”
“The perfect place to settle a troublesome matter.”
“Yes, that’s where we’ll dispose of them all. I’ll handle suppressing Demian Haksen, and you……”
“I know, even without you saying it.”
Joshua placed his longsword across his knees.
“You want me to pierce that guy’s heart with this demonic sword.”
The longsword Joshua had used in the duel appeared to be nothing more than a flashy ornament.
But it held one secret: it was a demonic sword.
Killing with this demonic sword allowed it to absorb the victim’s soul.
The wielder could then use all the abilities of the absorbed soul as their own—even their talents.
“I’m always grateful to you, Father. Thanks to you procuring this demonic sword, my life changed.”
Joshua gazed at the demonic sword with affectionate eyes.
Originally, Joshua had no genius to speak of—not even mediocre talent.
Everyone even doubted if he was truly Havier Silva’s son.
Amid those humiliating days, Havier Silva had obtained this demonic sword.
Joshua began killing outstanding knights with it, sequentially absorbing their souls and talents.
After that, Joshua was hailed as a genius rather than a dullard.
“The souls absorbed by the sword were nearly worn out, so it’s fortunate we found a worthy one to replenish so soon.”
A secret known only to those who wielded demonic swords.
The souls absorbed by the sword gradually wore down and eventually vanished.
Once a soul dissipated, its talents could no longer be borrowed, so they had to be replaced at the right time.
“Your life changed? What nonsense is that?”
At that moment, Havier’s expression turned fierce.
“You are the son of Havier Silva. A chosen being.”
Havier Silva had originally been an unremarkable knight.
From a minor family to begin with, and born a bastard at that.
His father treated him as nonexistent, and his siblings scorned him constantly.
But Havier Silva had talent. A talent surpassing genius.
When Havier Silva reached master-class, everyone bowed their heads—even his father, siblings, and the king who had ignored him.
In that moment, Havier Silva realized he was chosen by the gods.
So when Joshua was deemed a dullard, Havier denied reality.
The son of a chosen one couldn’t possibly be so inept.
He believed without doubt that the world was at fault.
“You merely reclaimed what was yours by right. Never speak such words again.”
“……I’ll keep that in mind.”
Joshua nodded with a solemn expression. Only then did Havier smile contentedly.
“Sir Egg, are you listening?”
“Yes, my lord. What are your orders?”
A nearby knight responded immediately.
His face was covered in scars, even down to his cheeks, and his eyes gleamed fiercely.
At a glance, he was no ordinary knight. He exuded an inexplicable aura of dignity.
“Tell the knights to rest well for now. We may have a major undertaking soon.”
“Understood.”
The knight bowed his head briefly in reply.
“With Demian Haksen’s talent absorbed, winning the Helian Tournament will be easy.”
“To think I could claim that glory! Just imagining it fills my heart!”
“No need to be so thrilled. It’s only what you deserve.”
“By the way, let me kill that wench. I want to rip out that insolent tongue with my own hands.”
“If that’s what you want, so be it.”
The father and son shared a hearty laugh as they conversed.
Lost in the talk with his son, Havier Silva noticed nothing.
He was oblivious to someone eavesdropping on their conversation from behind a nearby wagon.
“So that’s their scheme.”
Demian Haksen murmured softly.
* * *
As night deepened, Demian infiltrated the Silva father and son’s campsite.
To learn their exact intentions.
Despite the numerous knights and the master-class Havier Silva, it posed no obstacle to Demian.
During his Death Knight days, Demian had constantly faced assassination threats.
Not only the Empire but the Holy Order had sent killers after him.
Among those assassins targeting Demian were several master-class fighters.
One in particular stood out among the master-class assassins.
A man called Phantom.
No master-class could survive once targeted by Phantom. The Empire had even designated him a top-tier threat due to the danger.
Why Phantom targeted Demian was unknown.
But his reputation was well-earned; he infiltrated Dorgo’s legion and approached within arm’s reach of Demian.
Yet just before shattering Demian’s core, he was detected by the awakened Demian’s killing intent and lost his life.
The realm Phantom had reached as a master-class was ‘Ghost Shadow’.
Ghost Shadow allowed transforming the body into a phantom-like state, erasing presence or slipping through narrow gaps.
Demian hadn’t yet reached master-class, so he couldn’t fully turn his body into a ghost like Phantom.
But it was enough to fool Havier Silva’s senses.
‘They plan to kill me with the demonic sword and steal my talent.’
Stealing something as vague as talent? It sounded absurd.
But Demian knew it was possible with a demonic sword crafted by a marquis-level demon.
Moreover, he was already aware of demonic swords that absorbed talents.
‘I heard it’s one of the demonic swords the Weapon Master particularly cherished. How did it end up in Havier’s hands?’
The Great Evil of Pandemonium.
A man who could dominate ‘all’ weapons in existence.
The Weapon Master could even control demonic swords. Those that led men to ruin became tame as lambs in his grasp.
‘Did he receive it directly from him? That would mean he’s had contact with the Weapon Master at this point.’
As Demian suspected, Havier Silva was undoubtedly linked to the black mages at this stage.
‘You dog. Betraying the Eastern Alliance over a damned demonic sword?’
Demian suppressed his rising fury. Losing emotional control could disrupt Ghost Shadow and alert Havier.
‘They plan to kill me in the Gorak Mountains.’
Even a master-class couldn’t arbitrarily kill a foreign noble.
Doing so risked retribution from the Empire, which positioned itself as mediator.
‘The other knights, Michael and Veronica can handle easily enough.’
There were a few strong-looking ones, but they were merely mid-class. The two could manage.
They were geniuses Demian acknowledged, after all.
‘The problem is Havier.’
From Demian’s position, fighting a master-class was still burdensome.
But he couldn’t let this man, who had indirectly caused his family’s deaths, go free.
‘Above all, he’s targeting me.’
Demian still remembered.
After the duel, the greedy glint in Havier Silva’s eyes as he stared at him.
Back then, he hadn’t understood its meaning. Now he did.
To Havier, Demian was a treasure chest brimming with gold and jewels.
He’d use any means to kill Demian and seize his talent.
‘But it’s not without a chance of victory.’
Demian touched his wrist. The faint glow of the powers of Gluttony and Wrath etched there shimmered dimly.
‘Since you betrayed humanity…… I’ll kill you as promised.’
In the darkness, Demian’s eyes gleamed coldly.