Chapter 50
Chapter 50
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 50
Chapter Title: Heksar Survivors
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A short while later.
Skevin appeared at the castle gates, leading his knights.
“What’s going on!”
“Look over there!”
A sentry pointed toward a cloud of dust rising in the distance.
“What the—!”
Skevin’s face hardened.
Hellot shouted to the knights.
“Everyone, battle ready!”
“Got it!”
The knights scattered swiftly.
*Where’s the Young Master?*
As Skevin scanned the surroundings for Arthur,
Arthur descended from the sky alongside Millerph.
Before stepping outside the castle, Arthur said to Skevin,
“No one comes out until I give the order.”
“What do you mean?”
Skevin looked puzzled, but as Millerph followed Arthur, he added,
“It’s the Heksar barony.”
“……?”
Skevin’s eyes widened.
The moment Arthur spotted them, Millerph had cast Hawkeye magic to check their banner first.
A shield-shaped flag fluttered in the wind.
And alongside the cavalry charged a man with black hair whipping in the breeze, his helmet removed.
Shield and black hair!
It was the Heksar barony.
Judging by their disheveled appearance, something terrible had clearly happened.
“Our lord wishes to meet them, so let’s wait and see.”
“They were attacked, weren’t they?”
“We’ll know once we talk.”
Millerph’s face grew grim.
Arthur stepped outside the castle and waited for them to approach.
A moment passed like that.
The horses, which had been charging ferociously, slowed and came to a halt.
Then the black-haired man dismounted and walked toward Arthur.
Millerph, standing behind Arthur, whispered upon seeing the man.
“That’s Hektor Heksar, the eldest son of the Heksar family.”
“Hm.”
Arthur nodded.
Hektor stopped about five meters away. He then knelt on one knee and bowed his head politely.
“I am Hektor Heksar, eldest son of the Heksar family. I wish to meet the head of the Julius count family.”
“State your reason.”
“A week ago, our family was falsely accused of being devil worshippers and attacked by neighboring territories.”
*As expected.*
Arthur furrowed his brow.
“My father and the rest of my family were all killed, leaving only me to come here like this. Please let me meet the family head. I’ll tell him everything in detail.”
“Just tell me.”
At Arthur’s words, Hektor raised his head.
He appeared to be around the same age as himself—likely Malcolm Count’s son.
But he’d heard the eldest son, Wesley, had died in a monster attack.
That left Aild or Arthur...
Yet the aura emanating from him was far from ordinary.
He knew both of them. Neither could possess such presence.
*Who the hell is he?*
Hektor stared at Arthur with eyes full of doubt.
Their gazes met, and Hektor involuntarily lowered his eyes.
*This level of presence...*
It rivaled even the Defen Knight Order captain who had come with him.
*Aild? No way. I heard he’s just holed up in his room. Then maybe...?*
Skevin Maximus, captain of the Phoenix Knight Order, came to mind.
But he couldn’t be this young, and with the black hair and golden eyes, he was clearly of Julius count blood.
Malcolm Count must have had a hidden child.
“I apologize, but could you state your identity?”
“Arthur Julius.”
“Arthur...!”
Hektor’s eyes bulged.
*Grada’s prodigal?*
Impossible.
“Is that true?”
“Yeah. So tell me what happened.”
“Couldn’t you speak directly to the countess?”
“No!”
Arthur cut him off sharply.
As Hektor’s face darkened, Millerph spoke up.
“Do you know who I am?”
“Ah, Lord Millerph.”
Hektor bowed politely to Millerph.
“You must be exhausted from the long journey. The Young Master is the family head, so speak to him.”
“What?”
Hektor looked stunned.
*He’s the family head?*
“Yes, he is the head of the count family.”
Medlin’s voice came from behind.
She stood beside Arthur and continued.
“It’s been a while.”
“Countess, I apologize for not visiting sooner.”
“It’s fine. From what I’ve heard, something terrible has happened to the Heksar family. Tell the family head everything.”
“Understood. A week ago...”
Hektor looked at Arthur and recounted everything that had happened.
A month ago, a massive purge of devil worshippers had begun.
Then suddenly, people with black hair were labeled devil worshippers too, leading to merciless massacres.
The wave had reached their barony as well.
The lords of territories they’d long been on good terms with had banded together and attacked.
The barony had resisted with all its might but couldn’t overcome the numerical disadvantage.
Baron Hambaro had stayed behind to fight the enemy to the end, while he had fled here with his family.
Medlin glanced toward the Defen Knight Order from the Heksar family and asked.
“Is Lady Angel safe?”
“My mother and little sister...”
Hektor’s eyes reddened, tears welling up.
He swallowed his surging rage and continued.
“They were ambushed while fleeing and all lost their lives.”
His clenched fists trembled visibly.
“I see.”
Arthur wore a sympathetic expression.
“You must flee before those bastards arrive. That’s why I came to deliver this warning.”
“What do you plan to do now?”
“I intend to inform Count Kandara as well.”
“With all these men, you plan to take a ship?”
Medlin frowned.
“If the Julius count family will shelter us, we planned to select a few and go.”
Arthur asked Medlin.
“What should we do?”
“You are the head of the Julius count family. I’ll follow your decision.”
“Understood.”
Arthur turned and shouted loudly toward the half-open gates.
“They are guests of the count family! Welcome them properly!”
Boom!
The gates swung fully open, revealing the waiting Phoenix Knight Order.
Seeing them, Hektor’s eyes widened.
“This... this can’t be...”
Every one of them exuded overwhelming presence, surpassing even the Defen Knight Order captain.
Above all, the man in their midst radiating a majestic aura was on a completely different level from any knight he’d faced before.
*Could he be...?*
“Skevin!”
At Arthur’s call, he approached and bowed deeply.
“You called?”
“Prepare a place for them to stay. And make sure they don’t cross paths with the others.”
“Yes.”
Skevin looked at Hektor and said.
“Please follow me.”
“Are you perhaps Skevin Maximus?”
“That’s right.”
“As expected of the Julius count family...”
Hektor’s face brightened.
The world thought it was barely clinging to its name.
But his father had thought differently.
Given it was a place even the emperor couldn’t touch lightly, it must have hidden power.
That’s why he’d sent him here.
As long as he survived the family’s fall, he could rebuild one day.
He’d doubted it—half-believed, half not—until arriving in Grada territory.
But seeing the Phoenix Knight Order and Skevin, he realized his father was right.
*Father!*
Thick tears streamed from Hektor’s eyes.
Skevin didn’t know exactly what those tears meant, but one thing was clear.
He didn’t regret coming here.
As Hektor entered the castle with Skevin, he couldn’t calm his pounding heart.
Most of the knights were Sword Expert First class, on par with the Defen Knight Order captain.
The only place with such a knight order was the Central Guardian Knight Order, made up of the emperor’s personal guards.
Numerically, they couldn’t compare, but in individual strength, they were in no way inferior.
*Incredible.*
Hektor and the Defen Knight Order moved to the knight barracks with Skevin.
Once they were gone, Arthur said to Hellot.
“Keep a close watch.”
“Pardon?”
Hellot tilted his head.
Arthur glanced toward the knight barracks and continued.
“It’s not that I don’t trust them. But given the circumstances, caution is best. And our full strength mustn’t be revealed to the world yet.”
“I understand.”
“Make sure they don’t notice.”
“Yes.”
Hellot bowed politely and issued orders to the knights.
Arthur turned his gaze to Millerph.
“We need to hurry.”
***
“How’d it go?”
“We killed the baroness and her daughter, but we lost the son.”
“You idiots.”
Karloff sliced the knight’s throat with a blade wreathed in dark red aura.
“Gah.”
The knight’s eyes bulged as he collapsed in a heap.
Karloff eyed the men who’d pursued with him.
“So, where’d that bastard flee?”
One of them replied in a crawling voice.
“Toward Grada territory, it seemed.”
“Grada? Well, those guys are devil worshippers too.”
Karloff licked his lips, thought for a moment, then beckoned a robed man.
He asked the man in a sinister tone.
“Got a good idea?”
“Grada territory will be hit by Yarve Count anyway.”
“And?”
“What if we hit the Kandara count family? If we wipe them out too, we might catch the emperor’s eye.”
“Tempting, but others are already heading there.”
“They’ll fail.”
“Why are you so...!”
The man smirked slyly.
The Kandara count family had Helm Del.
With him and the Del Knight Order, reaching land wouldn’t be easy.
But the same went for them.
“Tell me the plan.”
“When their attention’s focused on one spot, we land on the opposite side.”
“Still a high chance of detection.”
“What if just one ship goes? Would he send his knight order? He’ll be too busy with the enemy right in front of him.”
“I get what you’re thinking.”
“Pick exactly thirty. The nastiest ones.”
“Heh heh, been a while since I could cut loose.”
As the man headed toward the mercenaries, Karloff moved to where the knight orders from various territories were gathered.
The knight orders, dispatched under imperial decree, looked at Karloff.
Karloff asked the man who’d been in charge of the alliance.
“Did you clean them up thoroughly?”
“We killed every last black-haired one.”
“Well done.”
“So we can return to our territories?”
“You can. But know this isn’t the end. When I issue the summons, move immediately.”
“Understood. But remember one thing. We follow not you, but the emperor’s command.”
“Of course. Would noble knights like you associate with lowly me without the emperor’s order? Safe travels.”
Karloff bowed courteously.
They glared at him with contempt and departed.
Watching them go, Karloff smirked.
“You fools don’t even realize I hold your lives in my hands. I wonder how our count is preparing. If he fails this time, survival won’t be easy...”
***
At that moment.
Hazan arrived in Yarve territory.
Yarve welcomed Hazan warmly into his office.
“Come in.”
“It’s an honor to be summoned.”
Hazan bowed as courteously as possible.
Yarve curled his lips and sat facing him.
“How many did you bring?”
“Two hundred in total.”
“What?”
He’d expected at least five hundred, so two hundred was disappointing.
Rage boiled up at the feeling of being deceived.
But Hazan didn’t flinch at Yarve’s twisted expression.
“Hear me out fully, and your mind will change.”
“Speak.”
“Of the two hundred, fifty are Sword Experts First class. The rest are beasts in human skin.”
“Beasts in human skin?”
“They only eat human flesh.”
“...!”
Yarve’s eyes flashed.
A few years ago, he’d heard rumors of men who ate only human flesh.
But they’d vanished one day.
“Where’d they come from?”
“I sheltered those with nowhere to go. Believing they’d be useful someday.”
“You’re something else. Thinking to keep monsters like that around.”
Yarve was thrilled.
While the knight orders from various territories faced the enemy head-on, infiltrate the count family with these beastly men.
Imagining their shock made his lips curl up.
He couldn’t miss such entertaining spectacle.
“Fine. This time, I’ll lead personally.”
“When do we depart?”
Yarve thought briefly, then grinned.
“No need to wait here. Going ahead ourselves is fine, right?”
“Whatever you say, Count. Heh heh.”
“We march in three days.”
“Then let them drink their fill for two days.”
“Every drop of alcohol in the castle is theirs. But!”
Yarve’s eyes suddenly gleamed with murderous intent.
“Not a single one of the Julius count family survives. Devour them all.”