One Mouth is Enough to Speak
The majestic main gate of the Restis Ducal Residence. It was just as Cael's group was about to pass through the castle gates and hurry on their way.
"Y-Young master! W-Wait a moment!!"
A young voice called out desperately from behind, kicking up clouds of dust.
Cael, gripping the reins, turned his head with a puzzled expression.
"Hm?"
The blond man who came running up, panting hard, had the emblem of a blue wolf emblazoned clearly on his chest. It proved he belonged to the Blue Wolf Knights, directly under the ducal family—the very group Cael had just turned away from.
Cael tilted his chin from atop his horse. "What's the matter? The knights have no reason to chase me down."
"Huff, huff... C-Can you take me along on this subjugation mission?"
Ella and Weger, standing beside him, stared at the boy knight with wide eyes at his bold demand, blurted out while catching his breath. Cael curled his lips in amusement.
"Hm? Why? Didn't they make it clear no personnel could be spared from the knights?"
Then came a most amusing reply from the young knight's mouth.
"The v-vice captain said... I'm just the useless youngest anyway, so go follow the young master right now...?"
Ella snorted in disbelief at his innocent answer. But Cael's expression soured. Even if he was treated like baggage, defying the acting lord's military orders and diverting troops was a dangerous act that could cost the vice captain his head.
"Isn't that a violation of military orders? I appreciate the vice captain's gesture, but I can't lop off his head just to take you along. Go back. These guys are more than enough for escort duty—with plenty to spare."
As Cael refused and reached for the reins, the boy knight waved his hands frantically.
"N-No! It's v-vacation!?"
Cael turned back at the unexpected reply.
"Hm? Vacation?"
"Y-Yes! The orders say to refrain from external dispatches or outings as knight order members, but there's no command controlling personal vacations! S-So I'm not violating any orders—I'm on perfectly legal vacation, hehe...."
At that brazen response, the situation crystallized in Cael's mind.
Ho, so he's no stick-in-the-mud.
The Blue Wolf Knights were known even within the ducal family as the lowest-ranked order, patrolling the outskirts. They lacked the power to openly defy the acting lord at the center of authority, but their knightly conscience must have stung at simply watching the family heir head into obvious peril.
So they'd sent off the greenest rookie—the one expendable enough to minimize disciplinary risk—under the pretext of "vacation."
Sharp one. I like that survival instinct.
Cael thought as much while scrutinizing the young knight before him. He had a clumsy air, like a screw was loose somewhere. His silver armor was caked with sand and dirt, as if he'd just been rolling on the training grounds.
But Cael's keen senses pierced straight to the flow of energy within him. Surprisingly, the boy's meridians were pure and wide open, with solid, refined qi firmly rooted in his dantian.
"What's your name?"
"R-Roben! Roben Banis, young master!"
Banis. Having a surname meant he was a proper noble scion, unlike commoners like Weger or Ella.
"Right, Roben. But as the vice captain said, you're the knights' useless youngest. What can you even do?"
To Cael's blunt question, Roben puffed out his chest confidently.
"I may not look it, but I'm from the outskirts of Vollex Territory—where you're headed! I know the lay of the land blindfolded. Take me along; even if I'm no fighter, I'll be perfect for guiding and running errands!"
"Excluding combat? Can you call that a knight order?"
"H-Haha... I'm the newest rookie... no real battle experience yet, so my swordsmanship's a bit lacking, yeah...."
Roben scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly.
It was a solid pretext. As the youngest with nothing to lose, it posed minimal risk to the vice captain. Some might dismiss it as mere posturing, but Cael—who'd roamed the martial world for decades and seen it all—thought differently. In battlefields or unknown terrain, a guide who knew the lay perfectly was often worth more tactically than ten peak experts.
"Fine. You're in."
"Really!?"
"But from now on, you're not knights. You're my personal subjugation team. Disobey a single order or act on your own, and I'll take your head right there. Got it?"
At Cael's icy warning, Roben snapped to attention and shouted spiritedly.
"Th-Thank you! I'll give it my all!"
Roben Banis's addition proved an excellent choice, just as Cael had anticipated. He knew every shortcut through the rugged, twisting mountain paths to Vollex Territory, letting the group reach their destination far faster than expected.
As dusk settled, the barren landscape of Vollex Territory unfolded beneath the dimming sky.
Roben led toward the main road where the castle walls came into view, but Cael yanked the reins and veered off.
"Young master, weren't we heading to the lord's castle first for lodging?"
"No. Something more urgent."
Ella, following behind, asked with a worried face at Cael's decision.
"Straight there, young master?"
"Of course. Why drag our feet? These things are better handled fast. Wouldn't want trouble if we're late. When Marie returns from the main residence, she'll be thrilled if her family's all safe."
Ella clasped her hands, beaming with emotion at Cael's casual reply.
"Hehe, young master is just so thoughtful and caring!"
"Is that so?"
Cael smirked and spurred his horse toward the village.
Guided by Roben, they arrived at Marie's village. But it was far from any peaceful hamlet.
Rotted wooden shacks, liable to collapse in the next rain, clung precariously together. The streets reeked of sewage and decaying filth.
A squalid den where fifty-odd impoverished households scraped by—a beasts' lair abandoned even by the territory's outer guards.
Crime syndicates like Legnum weren't even necessary; vicious bandits would eye it plenty for kidnapping slaves.
Cael halted his horse and silently took in the wretched scene.
Way too far. Even exiled, she was the wet nurse who raised the ducal heir from infancy. And they let her rot in this slum?
Suddenly, an unfamiliar rage boiled deep in Cael's chest. He quickly realized its source.
This isn't my anger. It's this body's original owner—Cael—fuming.
The tearful devotion of the wet nurse who'd wept floods at news of his survival. The Heavenly Demon, Cheon Woo-jin, accepted that heartfelt bond without suppression.
Don't worry. Just watch.
As the group entered the village center's cramped square.
"Hey, you there."
A rusty metallic voice sliced the air. From the shadows of a dilapidated shack, three men in crude leather armor—jagged-toothed axes in hand—swaggered out.
No one would mistake them for honest villagers. The stench of crusted human blood wafted from them.
The leader, face scarred by a blade, eyed Cael's glossy steed and fine attire up and down with a sleazy grin.
"Fancy threads that don't belong in this rat-shit slum? Lost nobles? Or here to play hero?"
At the thief's arrogant mockery, Weger's eyes bulged with veins. Unable to hold back, he lunged forward with a thunderous roar.
"You filthy cur—how dare you wag that tongue! Do you even know who stands before you?!"
The thief just picked his ear and snorted at Weger's bellow.
"Ha, what's this? Musclehead with no brains? Think those lumps make you tough? Who gives a damn if you're castle brats from some big family? This is Legnum turf."
He tapped his axe on his shoulder and jerked his chin.
"Ditch the horse, your pricey baubles, and that tasty wench behind you. Scram quiet-like, and I'll even spare your precious necks—as a special favor."
"You beast worse than an animal—eyeing Ella?!"
Weger, head to toe in fury, reached for the heavy iron sword at his waist. In that instant—
Pshuk—!
A faint friction sound, like an insect's wingbeat, cut the air.
"Eh...?"
A dumb noise leaked from the thief mocking Weger. His focus blurred in an instant, eyes rolling upward into empty space.
Thud—
The burly thief's body crumpled limply onto the dirt like a puppet with cut strings.
A finger-joint-sized hole pierced cleanly between his eyes, dark blood spurting out like a fountain to soak the parched earth.
Instant death—no clue who struck or with what.
"……!!!"
Ella and Roben, witnessing the surreal sight with their own eyes, choked on their breath. Ella's shock was beyond words. The young master she remembered couldn't even crush a crawling bug in the yard or snap a flower—he cherished all life with a tender heart.
Even against enemies, killing so casually wasn't the young master she knew.
But Cael, gazing down from his horse, showed not a speck of guilt or agitation for taking a life. Just endless boredom and indifference, like kicking aside an annoying roadside pebble.
"Y-Young master...?"
Ella looked up at him with a trembling voice.
The warm youth who'd joked and smiled gently moments ago was gone. Only the lord of the Shipman Mountain Range—who'd crushed the martial world under rivers of blood and slaughter—glinted coldly.
Tsk, pathetic. Demon Soul Bullet packing only this much punch?
Cael briefly assessed his technique, then scanned his frozen companions one by one.
Hm. Let's see how they fight.
His voice fell, emotionless and curt.
"Weger, Ella, Roben—and Oliver."
"Yes, sir!"
"Y-Yes, young master...!"
"Yessir!!!"
"Grrr... Woof!!!"
Even knight Roben snapped to rigid attention under Cael's chilling tone.
Cael gazed coldly at the remaining thieves, trembling and backing away. His red lips parted slowly.
"One mouth is enough to speak."
Killing intent flashed in Cael's eyes.
"Kill them all."
At the command, Oliver bolted first without hesitation.
"Woof woof woof!! Graaaang!!"
Crack—!
One thief's neck tore clean off under Oliver's assault, ending him.
Cael watched, pondering seriously.
Hmm... Weger, Ella... You'll have to hustle to keep up with Oliver.