Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Hashashin's Assault
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The Hashashin attack targeting Agnes Schubert. Only Damian knew the true culprit behind this incident.
But he had no intention of speaking up. There was no evidence to present, and he had no desire to stir up unnecessary trouble.
He had no idea how Agnes herself felt about it, but Damian had gained much from the event.
He had consumed one Book of Hell—Mem—but in exchange, he learned Reversal Absorption from Gremory.
On top of that, he had located the Hashashin hideout and confirmed that it held a substantial number of Books of Hell.
Most importantly, it contained a Book of Hell—Nun—that he had never obtained even before his regression.
‘No reason to put it off.’
Contracting with a new type of demon meant unknown conditions might be imposed.
Moreover, mastering the new black magic after the contract would take time.
‘The timing isn’t bad.’
He had planned to visit the south regardless of securing the Books of Hell, due to ties from before his regression.
Whether out of personal sentiment or for revenge, he needed to settle those debts from there.
Besides, he had someone who could assist in raiding the Hashashin hideout.
“Ugh…”
As he organized his thoughts, Agnes, who had been sleeping soundly, let out a groan.
Anna and Felix were absent, having gone to inform the Schubert family home. Damian moved to her bedside to check on her condition.
“Are you feeling okay?”
Agnes rubbed her waist and nodded. She tried to sit up right away, but her body wouldn’t cooperate, and she only let out a pained sound.
“Stay lying down. You need to rest to recover.”
“…Yes.”
Agnes averted her gaze downward and slipped back under the covers.
—It’s a miracle, a miracle!!
The healer who had just left had said so with a shocked expression.
The antidote spells varied wildly depending on the poison’s type. Moreover, the poison on the arrow was exceptionally potent; even with proper treatment, the survival odds weren’t high.
—It must be heaven responding to Sir Damian’s devotion to his fiancée!
In reality, it was forbidden black magic of the empire—taught by a lord of hell, no less. Since he couldn’t very well tell the truth, Damian simply nodded.
“Thank you.”
Her voice weary and halting, Agnes spoke. She didn’t even seem to have the energy to ask what had happened.
But one thing she knew: Damian had saved her life.
“It’s because I was inadequate that I troubled you, Sir Damian. I’m a failure as a fiancée.”
Agnes let out a hollow laugh and bit her lower lip. But she lacked even the strength to draw blood.
“Even if you demand we break off the engagement over this, I’ll accept it gladly.”
As Agnes said, he could make a huge issue of it if he wanted.
Managing the Teya Mountains was a duty granted to the Schubert family by the empire. The fact that nothing had gone wrong for decades didn’t lessen that responsibility.
Damian was merely lowly among the most noble. No one in the world could ignore the blood flowing in his veins.
“It won’t come to that.”
“Why… not?”
“Because I still want to maintain this relationship.”
Agnes turned her head to hide the moisture gathering in her eyes. Damian couldn’t tell if those tears were from anger at herself or gratitude toward her fiancé.
“I will repay this debt without fail. This isn’t mere courtesy. It’s the vow of a knight.”
“Save the talk for later and get some more sleep.”
She meant every word. There wasn’t a shred of falsehood in it.
Damian suddenly considered how many people he could truly trust at this point.
First, there were Anna and Felix. He trusted them completely.
But they weren’t combatants. They couldn’t directly aid his revenge, nor did he want them to.
His relationship with Anya was also favorable. Though recent, she held no ill impressions of him as a merchant or game creator.
But she wasn’t a comrade. All he wanted from Anya was a smooth business partnership—nothing more.
Next were his old guerrilla squad mates. Those who had shared life and death with him were like brothers. Their deaths were precisely why he sought revenge.
But at present, that bond existed only in his mind.
They were each living their own lives; he couldn’t just show up invoking forgotten camaraderie and demand they join his vengeance.
There were also fleeting connections from his wandering days across the continent. Some had been deep bonds; others had scattered like the wind.
So where did his current relationship with Agnes stand? He’d sensed it faintly from her letters, but compared to before his regression, it was remarkably good.
The catalyst had been the Iron Wolf swordsmanship he learned from Derek.
The path of the sword Agnes pursued was dismissed as outdated by current standards. Aura alone determined a knight’s prowess; everything else was secondary.
To the mainstream, Agnes was a heretic. Even with her overwhelming aura dominance over the blade, she refused to rely on it alone, seeking her own unique sword.
It must have been a lonely road. Then she saw Damian’s sword. Her interest in swordsmanship outweighed any disdain for his illegitimate status, swaying her heart.
Most would question if such a reason could alter relations, but for a woman enthralled by the blade, it made sense.
‘I didn’t learn it intending this.’
He’d asked Derek to teach him purely as preparation for unforeseen dangers. But it had proven more useful than expected.
‘If I play this relationship right…’
Damian wanted Agnes to stay out of the upcoming succession struggle. She couldn’t truly be his ally, and making an enemy of her was too risky.
Conversely, if he could win her over, no better option existed. She would make exceptional firepower.
Right now, she lay as if dead after the Hashashin attack, but soon she’d ascend to the empire’s top ranks. No—today’s humiliation would accelerate her growth even further.
‘And now she owes me another debt.’
When Damian claimed the emperor’s throne, what he’d give her was clear.
Restoring the rights lost to the Schubert family. That was precisely why she sided with the orthodox faction.
In that regard, Agnes could never join the reformists.
Michael’s goal was to concentrate all power and authority solely in the emperor’s hands.
‘No need to worry about the engagement issue either.’
She’d decline the empress position anyway.
Honestly, court life didn’t suit her. She shone brightest swinging her sword unbound.
Before his regression, after breaking off with Damian, Agnes never remarried and named a cousin as heir.
For her, pursuit of the sword outweighed romance.
The emotions Agnes felt toward Damian now were closer to a sense of kinship than lovers’ affection.
‘Not that I have time to worry about that now.’
What mattered to her currently was vengeance for her father.
Her current composure served that end, and until it was resolved, she couldn’t aid Damian.
If she reached for him in her revenge, he’d gladly take her hand. But he wouldn’t approach first.
Because he understood her feelings with his heart, not his head, he had to respect her quest for vengeance.
‘Take it slow.’
For now, he’d maintain this ambiguous bond.
“You can come in.”
He sensed presence outside the door. It opened, revealing Anna, Felix, and a Schubert family knight.
“First, allow me to express our family’s gratitude on their behalf. Once the matter is settled, the family head will visit the capital personally to see you, Sir Damian.”
The knight said he’d take Agnes back to the main house. Anna’s expression darkened slightly at that.
She knew from Agnes’s situation that her treatment in the family wasn’t great.
Moreover, the knight’s demeanor was odd. He seemed more concerned with Damian’s reaction than Agnes’s well-being.
“Then I’ll leave Agnes in your hands.”
But her safety should be assured. To the Schubert head, Agnes still held value as a tool.
No further attacks were likely. They no longer took jobs indiscriminately like during the civil war.
They planned at least a year in advance. And after one failure, they’d approach even more cautiously.
In that time, Agnes would grow stronger. The Hashashin succeeding in assassination was unimaginable.
“----.”
Agnes was loaded onto a stretcher and into the carriage. Jolted awake by the bumps, she said something to Damian, but he couldn’t hear it.
* * *
The next day, the Schubert family head—Agnes’s uncle, Ballack—arrived.
He brought not only the three Books of Hell Damian had requested from Agnes but also the other artifacts found there.
“Thank you once more for saving my niece.”
A mild-mannered middle-aged man. Who would believe this was the one who murdered his own brother using his niece?
It was a headache for Ballack too. He had no clue who would target Agnes for assassination.
She’d lived obsessed with the sword alone. There was no reason for enmity.
But the true culprit was Rubia. That woman was like a natural disaster. Common sense didn’t apply.
“This is a small token of our appreciation.”
Ballack offered a jewelry box as thanks. It was woefully insufficient for the Book of Hell consumed, but Damian accepted it.
“It’s also a gesture of my regard for my niece’s fiancé.”
This next gift even surprised Damian a little.
A mandragora. A herb resembling a human form. It grew wild in mana-beast-infested regions untouched by human hands, occasionally found in the Teya Mountains.
It was enormous. He could only imagine how much mana it contained.
“I gratefully accept.”
Damian’s innate mana was decent. But if it could be increased, it must be.
A spirit herb like mandragora was the most efficient way.
Anna would prepare it deliciously for dinner.
Afterward, Ballack continued with honeyed words. Their bond had wrought a miracle, had he no plans to visit the Schubert family, and so on.
Damian smiled patiently and merely nodded.
Before his regression, he’d have fawned desperately. But knowing the Schubert family’s truth now, there was no need.
With the Books of Hell secured, his next steps were set. That night, Damian returned to the abandoned tower.
First, as before, he stored two Books of Hell—Mem—in his soul. This time, there was no separate message from Molech.
Next, he placed the Book of Hell—He—on the shelf.
He recorded the hell guardians, gargoyles.
Contracting with them granted the black magic—Stone Scales. He hadn’t used it often before regression.
Poor matchup. Plus, the contract trial was quite grueling.
Demons varied: some benevolent toward humans, others not. Infernals and dream demons were favorable, so their conditions were simple.
But gargoyles were hostile to humans. Their contracts felt reluctant.
‘Will a lord of hell respond this time too?’
If so, this anomaly was definitely tied to his regression. It was surely Ishtar’s scheme, but he wouldn’t pass up the opportunity.
□□□. □□. □□□□. □□. □□□□□□. □□. □….
Once he recited every verse, the book plunged into the basement floor. Suddenly, vibrations rose, and a massive statue emerged from the ground.
[Haa, what a hassle. But I can’t just ignore it.]
Vast bat wings flapped. A demon with a gorilla’s body, ram’s horns, pig’s snout, and crocodile eyes: a gargoyle.
It resembled a living creature, yet its entire body was clad in hard stone scales.
But unlike the gargoyle Damian remembered from before regression, its eyes gleamed golden. Moreover, it had an extra pair of wings and arms.
Hagenti.
The greatest among gargoyles.
Guardian of hell’s entrance.
Once again, a lord of hell had descended.
[Molech and Gremory, huh. Well, given their personalities, not surprising. But knowing my name too? Impressive. No wonder my children are stirred.]
Hagenti scratched his chin with sharp claws as he spoke.
How his regression drew demons’ attention remained unknown. It didn’t matter. He’d gain new power through the contract.
Hagenti yawned, looking bored as he eyed Damian indifferently.
[Body looks decent on the outside, but let’s check the insides.]
His scanning gaze felt appraising. Still, there was more interest in his eyes than before.
“Guardian of hell’s entrance, Hagenti. I seek a contract with you.”
[Yeah, yeah. Figured as much. You didn’t summon this body for chit-chat.]
The king of gargoyles flapped his twin pairs of wings. Countless stone scales generated from his feet, enveloping Damian’s body.
[Of course, only if you satisfy me.]
It took little time until only tiny breathing holes remained.
The trial began.