Chapter 41
Chapter 41
Translator: Penny
Chapter 41
Following an order from someone within the Inner Castle, everyone in the fortress armed themselves and gathered.
Among them were soldiers, but also serfs, free commoners, and slaves, their clothing a mismatched assortment except for the uniformed soldiers.
"Kill them! They're spies from another house, sent to harm me! They must be assassins sent by the viscount of the neighboring fief!"
The youth, who appeared to be Theo, ranted wildly, pointing at Agron.
Agron and his companions were dumbfounded, but the castle's inhabitants seemed to find his words credible. Their eyes bloodshot with tension, they surrounded Agron's group, ready to attack at any moment.
Seeing this, Jacob took a deep breath and shouted at the crowd in a booming voice.
"You fools! Do you even know who you're being disrespectful to?! This is Count Agron von Veilain, the rightful ruler of the Veilain Fief and Head of House Veilain! ...And beside him is just a prince!"
At this declaration, the expressions of the crowd surrounding them finally shifted.
"Is that... really true?"
"A Count...!"
"But what's a Head of House? I thought our Lord was the highest-ranking member of House Veilain?"
"And there's a prince too?"
"Hey, stop joking around! Where's this prince you're talking about?"
"But wouldn't a prince or count travel with more than just this small group? Where are their guards and attendants?"
The murmuring crowd grew increasingly suspicious of Agron's group's meager numbers.
Whenever a noble like a Count or Prince appeared, they were always accompanied by a lavish carriage, knights in gleaming armor, and dozens of attendants.
But Agron's group looked like nothing more than a traveling circus: a barbarian, an old man from the East, a stunningly beautiful woman, and a young man with an unlucky face.
Where's the Count? Where's the Prince?
"These bastards! They really need a beating to come to their senses—"
"It's a lie!"
"That's right, a lie! Believe our Lord's words!"
"They're spies trying to harm our Lord!"
Despite Jacob's shout, the crowd ignored him and brandished their weapons at the group.
"What a waste of time."
Agron muttered to himself, then leaped off his horse and strode toward the Inner Castle where Theo was.
"Elena, follow me. The rest of you, deal with the soldiers here. Kill anyone who resists fiercely."
"Yes, Master!"
"Understood, Count!"
"Wait! This is our Lord's territory!"
"Get out of the way."
Agron snatched a spear from a soldier who charged at him, adjusted his grip, and swung it like an axe.
CRACK!
"Gah!"
"Aaaah!"
"Ugh!"
The soldiers struck by the spear shaft screamed shrilly as they were hurled dozens of meters through the air.
The soldiers' eyes widened in terror at this unbelievable display of brute strength.
How could a human possibly possess such power?
He hadn't just been knocked down; he'd been sent soaring through the air by a single blow from Agron's spear.
He must be a half-ogre or an Orc in disguise, not a pure human.
"If you don't back down, I'll send you flying too," Agron warned, his words carrying an unmistakable weight.
The soldiers hastily retreated from him, having just witnessed the truth of his threat with their own eyes.
Of course, they would later face Theo's wrath for letting "the enemy" through, but that was a problem for another time.
Agron strode up the Inner Castle's spiral staircase, his footsteps echoing through the stone corridors.
Elena hurried after him, her head constantly swiveling as she scanned for the faint energy signature emanating from people, hoping to find Theo hiding somewhere.
"Master, it seems they've reached the top."
Agron nodded, tensed his thighs, and sprang up the stairs like a coiled spring, leaping several steps at a time.
After a few such leaps, he spotted a small door leading to the attic.
With a powerful kick, Agron shattered the door and stormed inside.
"Hey! Why are you breaking down the door when it wasn't even locked?!" Theo shouted, startled by the intrusion.
"...Uh, I just assumed it would be locked."
"You ignorant barbarian! Which Organization sent you?!"
"Didn't you hear? I'm Agron von Veilain, your Head of House."
"Nonsense... You're the Count?"
A complex mix of emotions flickered across Theo's eyes: anger, contempt, hatred, and surprise.
"So you're the one who enslaved our father... the bastard who made him a slave?!"
"You seem to have forgotten that your father was involved in the murder of the Former Head of House Couple."
"Our father didn't give the direct order! He was just manipulated!"
"Involvement in rebellion is a crime. And ignorance is no excuse for guilt."
"Shut up, barbarian! House Veilain belongs to us!"
Agron sighed softly, looking into the eyes of his opponent, who was already half-mad.
Conversation should be reserved for those of equal standing.
"Humans have their limits. Even the title of Baron is too much for you."
"You bastard! I'll kill you and become the Head of House myself! I am the great mage, Theo!"
Theo smirked triumphantly and thrust his fist toward Agron.
In that instant, a vivid light blazed from the ring on Theo's index finger.
It wasn't just a glimmer; a mystical energy writhed within, struggling to break free.
"Master!"
Startled, Elena pushed Agron back and stepped forward, extending her palm.
A bolt of lightning erupted from the ring, striking her directly.
Crack—Zzzzt!
"Hmph!"
The magic radiating from Elena's palm intercepted Theo's electrical attack.
"Are you alright, Elena?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Fortunately, the attack was weak."
She shook her palm as if flicking off dust, dispelling the lingering energy.
Yet, despite her words, a faint frown, one he had never seen before, lingered on her face.
"Still, this is surprising. Ludicain never mentioned his son was a mage."
"No, that wasn't magic."
"Not magic?"
As Agron repeated the question, Theo raised his hand again.
"Ugh! History will remember me as the great mage, the Head of House Veilain! You think blocking one attack will stop me?!"
"That's—"
Vampirs weren't the pinnacle of magical beings, but they were a race adept at wielding magic.
Their Blood Magic, in particular, was considered advanced magic, requiring intricate and precise Magic Arrays.
As a Vampir, the power of the opponent she faced differed significantly from the wavelengths of magic.
For an attack that should have been far weaker than her own to cause such a stinging pain in her hand—this could only mean one thing:
"It's a Spirit, Master."
Magic, Spirits, Demons.
Magic is weak against Spirits, Spirits are weak against Demons, and Demons are weak against Magic.
If the enemy's technique originated from a Spirit, it would explain why Elena felt pain from such a seemingly insignificant attack.
Crackling sparks!
Lightning surged from Theo's ring once more, striking out with renewed force.
Such an attack couldn't inflict serious harm on a Vampir like her, but even she couldn't completely ignore the pain.
Elena gritted her teeth and gathered her magical power, preparing to block the attack for Agron once again.
I must protect my Master, even at the cost of my life.
That was how a Vampir upheld her oath.
In that instant, a beam of light erupted from the ring. Simultaneously, Agron pulled her into his arms, turned his back to the attack, and shielded her with his body.
The bright yellow beam struck Agron's back.
"M-Master!" Elena cried out in shock.
"I'm fine," Agron reassured her with a calm expression.
Elena immediately checked Agron's back where the lightning had struck.
"There's no way he's unharmed—! ...He's actually fine."
"Hmm, it seems magic-based attacks don't work on me."
Come to think of it, back in the cave when they fought the demons, their brutal attacks hadn't affected Agron at all.
At the time, she had been too overwhelmed to think clearly, and since it was just one instance, she dismissed it as a fluke. But now, she understood the truth.
A person immune to magic...?!
Elena fully grasped the implications of this revelation.
Magic, spirits, demons—the very things humans feared most.
Agron was the only being free from their influence.
"W-what?! Why aren't you falling to my magic?!"
"You think you can bring me down with such a pathetic attack? You'll need far more preparation than that."
Agron approached them, his eyes gleaming with a chilling, azure light. With each step, he seemed to embody both the nobility of an aristocrat and the ferocity of a barbarian.
"Wait, wait! Under the Nobility Law, I demand to testify before the court!" Theo raised his hand, blurting out the necessary words before Agron could get any closer. "Since I've requested a legal judgment, you, as another noble, cannot treat me with disrespect."
"Why not?"
"Why not?! Because we have to wait for the court's verdict, that's why!" Theo stared at Agron with disbelief, his expression radiating a "You don't even know this?" look.
Elena had to restrain herself from punching him in the face; his smug expression was infuriating.
"So, let me get this straight," she said, her voice tight with suppressed anger. "You're saying that since you're awaiting judgment under the law, you demand to be treated as a noble until your trial?"
"Exactly! It seems this barbarian is finally starting to understand," Theo sneered, chuckling triumphantly.
He had won.
Though he hadn't managed to kill Agron or Elena, he had thoroughly humiliated them. By invoking his right to a trial just before capture, he had even managed to save his own life.
The moment a noble invoked the Nobility Law, all other nobles were bound to respect their demand to await the court's judgment.
This was one of the absolute privileges enjoyed by the nobility.
"Heh heh heh, I'll be staying in the nobles' waiting room at the Capital's court from now on. I'll probably see you about three times a year. I'll keep emphasizing my mental weakness and the fact that I'm only sixteen. My father's absence and the resulting depression and grief will also be considered mitigating factors."
"Hmm, so what will the final outcome be?"
"Pwahahaha! Obviously, considering the severity of the crime, the fact that it's my first offense, my mental weakness at the time, my remorse, and my young age, I'll likely receive a harsh sentence of one year in prison suspended for two years, plus fifty hours of community service."
"You call that a harsh sentence?"
"It is! This is the result of a noble's punishment when the Nobility Law is properly applied!"
Agron frowned for the first time at Theo's sinister words.
"So, distributing drugs to criminals and buying underage children for slave traders gets you this verdict?"
"Hahaha, exactly! Let's hurry to the Court! Of course, you'll have to use your guards to escort me."
"As expected, the more I learn about this country's Nobility Law, the more it seems like utter garbage."
"What...?! Do you think our laws are so lax that a barbarian like you can criticize them? Can you even read?"
Theo smirked, his lips curling into a sneer.
"Do you know what punishment a mere Baron receives for attempting to assassinate a Count and inciting treason?"
"What...?! I was only punishing intruders who breached the castle walls! I never tried to assassinate you or incite treason!"
Agron slowly turned his wrist and replied to Theo's words, "I heard you told the beggars in Kotaru that you were the New Lord of Veilain."
"What?! That... that's just because when I said I was from Veilain, they misunderstood and assumed I was the New Lord."
"No, I don't think so."
"What do you mean...?"
"They'll testify to this in court."
Agron took a deliberate step toward Theo.
Though it was only a single step, Theo felt as if Agron's massive frame had suddenly grown several times larger.
"Baron Theo ordered the rebellion to fulfill Ludicain's unfinished ambition. He even used beggars to try and assassinate me."
"What?! Hey, that's all lies!"
"No, it's the truth. Truth comes from power, not from the heart."
"What...?"
"Bring your precious laws and try to stop me. I'll trust in my own strength."
Agron grabbed Theo by the collar with one hand and his arm with the other, baring his pearly white teeth.
"W-what are you trying to do?!"
"Theo, are you a warrior?"
📝 Translator’s Note:
You may notice that certain lines or phrases in this novel appear both in their original Korean (or Hanja) form and in English translation.
This is intentional — these phrases are classical idioms, divine titles, or poetic expressions that carry layered meanings.
To preserve their original tone and authenticity, the raw text has been kept for reference, while the English interpretation is provided right before or after it. This helps convey both the literal and cultural nuance of the original work.
but if you guys dont want tha raw for future chapters or my future other novels u can just text me on discord and say so discord name Mr.Penny