Chapter 3
Chapter 3
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Came for Revenge (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Landwalk City.
It was a city located not far from the Viscount Haksen estate.
As the central hub connecting the kingdom's north and east, it was a commercial mecca where massive amounts of logistics flowed in and out every day.
Entertainment spots were equally well-developed. In his previous life, Demian Haksen had visited Landwalk City every other day to indulge in such pleasures.
‘To think I’d see it looking so intact again.’
Demian Haksen paused in nostalgia as he entered Landwalk City.
During his time as a Death Knight, he had razed the city to the ground on Archlich Dorgo’s orders.
The screams of people slaughtered by the undead still rang fresh in his ears from that day.
“Young master? Your expression doesn’t look good.”
Victor peered at Demian Haksen’s face and asked.
“It’s nothing.”
“Nothing? Come on. You must be scared to go back to that tavern, right?”
Demian Haksen scowled at Victor’s words.
His face clearly said, What nonsense is this?
“I get it. Those guards there are no joke. And they’re with the Black Snake—no fear in those guys.”
“Black Snake? What’s that?”
“Oh man, young master. Why are you like this again? It’s the name of the top organization in Landwalk City right now.”
“Ah…….”
Only then did the memory come back.
There had been one organization that was hugely famous at this time.
A new group that had absorbed all the other gangs in Landwalk City in a short period, becoming the ruler of the underworld.
Later, their power grew even stronger, to the point where they controlled the city like a toy.
But by the time Demian Haksen worked as a mercenary, they had long been destroyed.
They had been massacred by a knight who visited Landwalk City.
“So that’s how the Black Snake affiliation let them act so boldly.”
Landwalk was a city centered around merchants.
With immense capital and influence, they had escaped the nobles’ grasp and built their own independent power.
Nobles naturally held little sway here.
With the backing of the Black Snake on top of that, it made sense they’d look down on a minor noble house like Viscount Haksen.
“Guide me.”
“Huh? W-Where to, young master?”
“You’re asking the obvious. Where else would I go if not that tavern?”
He had forgotten the Black Snake, so there was no way he remembered the path to the tavern.
But at Demian Haksen’s words, Victor’s face drained of color.
“Y-Young master…… Y-You’re not really thinking of going there, are you?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“I-I thought you were definitely just pretending…….”
“You punk, you’re pretty good at joking.”
Demian Haksen chuckled as he patted Victor’s shoulder.
“Keep this in mind from now on. Starting today, I don’t lie.”
“Huh? W-What?”
“If you get it, lead the way.”
Tears welled up in Victor’s eyes at Demian Haksen’s command.
* * *
“……Young master, we’re here.”
Victor said in a feeble voice.
The tavern appeared just a short way into the alley.
“Young master, you’re really going in? Please, for your health and mine, reconsider…….”
Demian Haksen looked at Victor with amused eyes.
If he hated it so much, he could’ve just refused to guide him—instead, he finished the job and then complained.
What a truly foolish guy.
“If you’re that scared, you can head back first.”
“Huh? No way! How could I run off when you’re going in?”
Victor clenched his fist and shouted.
“But wouldn’t it be better if we both just ran away…….”
He quickly added.
Demian Haksen let out a snort of laughter. What an entertaining guy.
“Don’t worry and follow me.”
Demian Haksen stepped forward without hesitation.
Victor fidgeted anxiously but followed behind.
Two guards stood at the tavern entrance.
One was smoking a cigarette, the other peeling an apple with a fruit knife.
“Hmm?”
The smoking guard spotted Demian Haksen. Unfortunately, he was bald.
The bald one nodded and called to the other guard.
“Hey, isn’t that punk the one?”
The other guard looked up from peeling his apple.
Unlike the bald one, this guy had thick hair.
“The retarded noble who got beat and ran last time, right?”
“Looks like it. What guts to show his face again? We said we’d kill him if he came back.”
By the time the two exchanged words, Demian Haksen had reached the door.
“Hey, noble sir. Why are you back here? We warned you that day. Don’t ever show your face again.”
Thick-hair sliced a big chunk off his apple with the knife and popped it in his mouth.
He chewed it crunch crunch and asked.
“Or what, did you come for revenge?”
“You’re sharp. A real talent for guarding the entrance.”
“What?”
“Just like you said—I came for revenge.”
Thick-hair blinked rapidly.
He turned to the bald one and asked.
“Hey, what did this punk just say?”
“He said he came for revenge.”
“So I didn’t hear wrong?”
Thick-hair burst into hollow laughter.
“Figures a noble would get his pride hurt after getting beat by lowly scum like us?”
Thick-hair tossed the half-eaten apple to the ground.
He tapped Demian Haksen’s cheek with his apple-juiced palm.
“Want me to slap that face a few times? Maybe break a few molars to knock some sense in?”
Not satisfied, he pinched Demian Haksen’s cheek and shook it.
“Just so you don’t misunderstand—I’m telling you, a nobody family like Viscount Haksen has no power in this city. Even if we kill you here…….”
Demian Haksen stared silently at Thick-hair.
More precisely, his gaze fixed on the fruit knife in the man’s hand.
“Perfect.”
“What?”
Suddenly, Demian Haksen snatched the knife from Thick-hair’s hand.
“Didn’t bring a weapon, so I’ll borrow this for a bit.”
“Y-You crazy bastard!”
Thick-hair panicked and tried to grab it back.
But Demian Haksen swung first.
The knife sliced horizontally across Thick-hair’s throat.
Skin split, blood spurted out.
Thick-hair collapsed, gushing blood like a broken faucet.
“Guh, guhuk!”
A dull knife meant for fruit cut through flesh like paper.
The shocking sight left Bald speechless.
“W-What the hell! What did you just do, you bastard!”
Among the foes Demian Haksen had fought, there was a master called the Murder Ghost.
Unusually, he had reached mastery not through martial arts, but murder techniques.
The realm he attained, the Robbery Killing Sword, allowed him to slice human flesh like water.
Thanks to the Robbery Killing Sword, the Murder Ghost could hack people apart even with a blunt wooden sword.
A infamous villain, Dorgo had tried to recruit him, but it fell through, leading to a fight with Demian Haksen.
After thirty minutes of battle, Demian Haksen absorbed all his techniques and realms, claiming victory.
“Y-You dare touch the Black Snake? You must really want to die!”
“Didn’t you hear earlier? I came for revenge.”
“You son of a bitch!”
Bald charged with his fist clenched.
Demian Haksen read his movements with impassive eyes.
He twisted his upper body to dodge the punch aimed at his face.
At the same time, he swung the knife upward.
It grazed Bald’s wrist—and severed it clean off.
“Aaagh!”
Bald clutched his wrist and screamed.
Demian stabbed the knife into Bald’s temple.
Bald’s eyes rolled back as he toppled sideways.
The knife came out on its own.
“Whew.”
Demian Haksen took a deep breath.
Just that brief movement had left him breathing hard.
‘This body is too weak, as expected.’
No muscle development at all. Stamina scraping the bottom.
Not to mention any mana cultivation method.
‘At this rate, recreating my past life’s realm will be tough.’
First thing after going back—physical training.
As Demian Haksen set his plans,
“Y-Young master!”
Victor came running in shock. He stared at the bodies on the ground, speechless.
“W-When did you learn swordsmanship like this…… N-No, more than that, did you have to kill them?”
It was a natural question from Victor’s perspective.
The skill gap between Demian Haksen and these two was vast.
He could’ve subdued them without killing—going that far was excessive.
But Demian Haksen didn’t see it that way.
“Why kill them?”
No matter how weak the family’s influence, Demian Haksen was a noble.
The disgrace of causing a scene at a tavern and getting beaten by commoners couldn’t be washed away easily.
“We need to reclaim my honor and our family’s, right?”
The only way was to repay the humiliation several times over.
Like killing them all, for instance.
In truth, Demian Haksen was the victim.
He had caused the scene because of outrageous overcharging.
They must have looked down on him and pulled that stunt.
“If you’re scared, just wait outside.”
Victor shook his head.
“E-Even so, shouldn’t I at least guard your back?”
Demian Haksen burst into laughter at the reply. What a foolish guy.
“Good attitude.”
With that, Demian Haksen entered the tavern.
* * *
The tavern’s interior was quite spacious.
In the center was a stage where dancers in revealing outfits performed.
Patrons sat around, drinking and cheering.
‘Right, I used to love places like this.’
Past memories flooded back vividly.
Embarrassing recollections from his immature days.
‘What was I thinking, hanging around dumps like this…….’
As Demian Haksen inwardly sighed,
“Kyaaah!”
“Kyaaak!”
The female servers spotted the bloody Demian Haksen and screamed.
Hearing that, guards popped out from everywhere.
“Fuck, what the hell happened?”
“H-Hey, who’s that guy? He’s got a knife!”
One guard approached Demian Haksen.
His face was covered in scars from a rough life.
“Hey, where’d you come from? Why the fuck are you wrecking someone else’s business?”
“Do you recognize me?”
“Don’t know you, asshole. Shut up and say where you’re from!”
Guess the entrance guards were the sharp ones.
They had seemed too perceptive for mere guards.
“No business with small fry. Get the boss out here.”
He didn’t really expect the boss to come. It was to provoke the man in front of him.
“Seen a crazy bastard like this!”
Unable to hold his anger, the man grabbed for Demian Haksen’s collar.
The knife moved first.
The fluid swing severed both the man’s wrists.
“……Huh?”
Could human wrists really come off that easily?
As the man panicked, Demian Haksen brushed past him—and slit his throat.
Artery and vein cut, blood sprayed high. A thick stench of blood filled the air.
“Kyaaaaah!”
“Aaaaaaah!”
Patrons and servers recoiled in horror. The guards looked terrified.
“I’ll say it again.”
Demian Haksen addressed them.
“Get the boss out here.”
The guards eyed each other.
Soon, they all drew daggers from their bosoms.
“You son of a bitch!”
“Kill him!”
Over a dozen guards charged from all sides.
Demian Haksen clicked his tongue at them.
“Moths to a flame.”
His hand moved.
Each swing of the knife took a guard’s throat.
“Guk! Guhuk!”
“Keurk!”
Grown men fell like scarecrows.
In the blink of an eye, all the guards were corpses.
“Whew.”
Demian Haksen steadied his ragged breath. Stamina lacking, as expected.
“Y-Young master! H-Here, use this!”
Victor had somehow grabbed a dagger from the guards and brought it.
Demian Haksen couldn’t help but admire it.
Incredible adaptability.
“Thanks, but no need.”
“Huh? But this is better than the fruit knife, right?”
Compared to the knife, the dagger was longer, wider, and much sharper.
But Demian Haksen had no intention of switching.
“For small fry, it doesn’t matter what I use.”
Demian Haksen headed deeper into the tavern.
As he passed, the cowering servers and patrons fled outside like arrows.
* * *
Guards charged the moment he entered the back area.
“Rush him together!”
“Push with shields!”
They meant business—holding wooden shields to block Demian Haksen.
“Guk!”
“Kwaak!”
Futile resistance.
Each knife swing cleaved shields and throats.
Bang.
He kicked open the boss’s office door. It flew wide with a harsh crash.
“Noisy.”
Two men were inside.
An elderly man sat in the boss’s chair.
A young man stood rigidly beside him.
“Couldn’t you enter quietly? I hate racket.”
Too relaxed for a cornered man.
Demian Haksen asked the old man, puzzled.
“You the boss?”
“Yes, Andersen Home, owner of this tavern. And who might you be?”
“Demian Haksen.”
“Haksen? That idiot from Viscount Haksen?”
Andersen Home’s eyes widened.
He scanned Demian Haksen in disbelief.
“That idiot was this skilled? Wait, why attack my place?”
“I got beat and chased out here a few days ago.”
“……You got beat by my boys with that skill?”
Andersen looked even more confused. Demian Haksen shrugged.
“I was pretty drunk then.”
He wasn’t here to convince him anyway.
Demian Haksen brushed it off vaguely.
“If you let him live, he should’ve stayed home quietly. Why come back to my place, overstepping?”
“Lost too much from that. Here to take it back.”
“Lost? Oh, your honor. But maybe it’s my age—I just don’t get it. Does Viscount Haksen even have honor to lose?”
Demian Haksen’s eyes twitched at the old man’s words.
“My men didn’t even report it to me. Know why? Viscount Haksen’s that insignificant.”
“This won’t do.”
Demian Haksen clicked his tongue.
“Was gonna let you off if you kowtowed and apologized. Now I’ll take an arm at least.”
“Hahaha, ridiculous.”
Andersen Home laughed and stood.
He bowed politely to the silent young man.
“Looks like I’ll need Sir Ted to step in.”
“My price is high.”
“I know. The boss already explained.”
Andersen Home pulled a small leather pouch from a drawer and offered it.
“Ten gold coins.”
“How should I handle him?”
“Just cut off his limbs. My men will dump the rest in the back alley.”
“Got it.”
Ted drew his longsword from his waist with a flat tone.
In that instant, heavy killing intent spread everywhere.
Demian Haksen eyed the young man with interest.
“You don’t seem the type to be hired for a place like this.”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m Black Snake. Ordered to guard this tavern.”
“Black Snake? Heard they’re hot these days—impressive. Using an apprentice knight as a tavern guard.”
Surprise flashed across the young man’s face at Demian Haksen’s words.
“……How’d you guess I’m an apprentice knight?”
“I’m good at reading people.”
To become a formal knight required trainee, apprentice knight, junior knight, then formal knight.
Apprentice knight came right after trainee.
That didn’t mean they were weak.
An apprentice knight could easily kill a man barehanded.
“Decent opponent.”
“Decent?”
Ted reacted with disbelief.
“Working a dump like this as an apprentice knight says it all.”
Demian Haksen sneered and added.
“Probably got kicked out for lacking talent to reach junior knight. Isn’t ‘decent’ too generous for trash like that?”
Grit.
Teeth grinding, his killing intent thickened.
“Hit a nerve?”
“I’ll rip that mouth first.”
With that, Ted kicked off the ground and charged.