Chapter 23
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ace
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Wandering Duke Aselheit (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Blanc's injuries to both hands from the battle with the giant centipede had almost fully healed, but with Edwin away, he couldn't train. So lately, he'd been holed up in his personal training ground, practicing White Lightning.
Sword training under his master Edwin was showing clear results even to his own eyes, but White Lightning—which had to be constructed in the mental world—had made no progress whatsoever lately. It was frustrating him to no end.
'Is this the point where I need some kind of enlightenment I've only heard about...'
He'd heard that knights' aura training progressed in steps.
It was because of sudden leaps forward through mental awakenings.
'Since when have I been chasing after something like enlightenment...'
Frustrated by the wall of enlightenment, Blanc realized how vastly different his position was compared to his previous life. He couldn't help but chuckle wryly.
"But why is that little brat acting like that again? Does she know something?"
"I-I'm not sure, sir?"
Off in the distance, peeking out from behind a tree with just her head visible, was Izrelin Tolome.
Her maids, who followed her everywhere, were scattered about, forced into an unwanted game of hide-and-seek.
"If she's going to hide, she should do it properly. What is that?"
Izrelin had tucked her body away but stuck her head out, as if saying she was hiding but wanted him to find her.
"Go ask her why she's doing that. Just looking at her gives me a headache."
"...Yes, young master."
Rakshar found Izrelin just as burdensome, but since it was an order from his young master and baron, he followed without complaint.
As Rakshar rose with his massive frame and approached her, the nearby maids flinched. But Izrelin herself chatted casually with the huge werewolf as if it were nothing.
"What'd she say?"
Rakshar returned after speaking with her.
His expression was so peculiar that even the bored Blanc grew curious about their conversation.
"Well... Lady Izrelin said... to ignore her and keep training. That... it's a wife's duty to support her husband from afar without disturbing him..."
Hearing Rakshar's words, Blanc rubbed his eyes wearily with both hands.
"I'm going insane..."
She must have overheard Weard Tolome's marriage proposal to Blanc from somewhere.
"I hope Sir Edwin returns soon... Who'd have thought I'd miss that hellish training."
"It's been a week since Sir Edwin left with the investigation team, so he'll probably be back today or tomorrow."
Today marked one week since Edwin had led the team to the White Claw.
Blanc was genuinely missing the old knight who'd beaten him black and blue.
"Baron Blanc! Baron!"
A desperate voice called out to Blanc, who was clutching his head over Izrelin.
"I-it's Billy."
"I know."
Far across the training ground, Billy came sprinting up, gasping for breath.
"B-Baron. B-Bar... on. Huff... huff."
"Yes, Baron Blanc is right here. No need to run yourself ragged—take it slow and tell me."
Billy, the Tolome family's butler apprentice, usually kept a composed demeanor, but he lost his cool in emergencies, his emotions running high.
'Can't entrust him with anything major.'
He was perfect as a housebound butler, nothing more.
Blanc was trying to think positively—at least his head works decently—when Billy's next words made even him falter emotionally.
"The Wandering Duke Aselheit...?"
Why was a figure from the history books coming out of Billy's mouth?
"He's in Master Bartolomeo's office right now."
"And?"
Even if the Wandering Duke Aselheit had come to the manor, what did that have to do with Blanc that Billy would come running like this?
"Duke Aselheit... is looking for you, sir Blanc! Right now!"
"Why?"
"I don't know the details..."
Billy was Blanc's right-hand man, but within the Tolome family, he was just a butler apprentice, so he didn't know the finer points.
Either way, the weight of the name Wandering Duke Aselheit was no joke. There was no time to dawdle.
"Guess I'll have to run."
Blanc quickly gathered his scattered belongings and dashed toward the manor.
The Wandering Duke Aselheit.
If Bartolomeo Tolome, the lion of the Tolomes, and the Knight of Swiftness Edwin had shone in the previous era, Aselheit was a hero from the era before that.
It was a chaotic time when black mages lurked in the shadows.
Demons they'd summoned and all manner of monstrous aberrations crawled out of hell, staining the world in evil. It was then that a swordsman appeared out of nowhere.
That was Aselheit.
In the north, the Maximilian family—blessed by the goddess—stood against the undead legions created by the black mages. But there was no way to stop the black mages operating in the south.
In that chaotic situation, Aselheit formed a group of knights transcending borders and races.
The Torch Knights. He rallied every knight active in that era.
It was a order of knights—the last hope of humanity—holding torches aloft.
An army made solely of knights who could wield aura, not mere soldiers. He created the strongest army in human history and successfully annihilated the black mages rampaging in the south.
Bartolomeo and Edwin were knights appointed at the tail end of that era. They'd witnessed Aselheit shining brightest at the top of that torch with their own eyes.
To claim such a radiant Aselheit, the kingdoms of Anton, Felix, and Gartaria vied to grant him a duchy. But he refused them all, declaring he'd devote his life to purging the remnants of black mages, then vanished into the era's darkness.
People called him the duke of the three kingdoms, the wandering knight. Thus, he became known as the Wandering Duke.
Even now, nearing a hundred years old, Aselheit wandered without a home, exterminating any remaining black mages.
He was truly a hero of humanity.
And the great Aselheit—whose title fit perfectly without awkwardness—was now sitting in Bartolomeo's office.
"I'd gladly hand it over, but may I ask why you need it?"
Bartolomeo wielded king-like authority within the Tolome family, yet he bowed his head before the elderly man in his prime.
"I'm grateful for your ready agreement, Count Bartolomeo."
The Wandering Duke Aselheit met the eyes of everyone gathered in the office, expressing his thanks one by one.
"It's a treasure beyond price, so at least tell us why you want it."
Just as Aselheit's lips parted to explain...
"My lord count, Baron Blanc has arrived."
A report came from outside the office.
"Have him wait."
"No, don't. Let him in, count. I'd like to see the young hero who slew the giant centipede that's all the talk of the capital."
"Send him in."
Aselheit effortlessly seized control of the room's atmosphere. Bartolomeo had no choice but to comply.
The door opened, and in walked a black-haired boy.
The first thing the boy saw was the gaunt old man seated at the head of the room.
'The Wandering Duke Aselheit...'
He looked like an ordinary old villager, but that only made it more impressive.
Masters naturally exuded intangible pressure without trying.
Yet this swordsman, who had transcended eras, gave off no such pressure—instead, an approachable aura, as if one could chat freely. Blanc couldn't even gauge his level.
"Greetings. I am Baron Blanc Cardmus."
Blanc bowed politely and introduced himself.
From Aselheit to Bartolomeo, Edwin, and Berger—not one present lacked fondness for the boy.
Still, standing alone before these era-defining heroes, Blanc felt his breath catch.
If he were truly just fourteen, he might not have been able to breathe.
But Blanc, the regressor who'd crossed over thirty years, lifted his head calmly and met their gazes steadily.
Aselheit nodded with a smile at the sight.
"I came after hearing the rumors, but I didn't think a fourteen-year-old boy could have slain such a massive monster. I figured it was exaggerated."
Yet watching the boy stand there with such dignified poise, Aselheit thought, 'He could have done it.'
"He's Edwin's disciple. With that picky knight choosing him, his future is even more promising."
"A young man who braved danger to save his sister's life. His sense of justice stands out."
"Baron Blanc still has much to learn. I'm worried these praises might go to his head."
Bartolomeo and Berger wanted to impress Blanc firmly on Aselheit, but Edwin grumbled, concerned the flattery might inflate the boy's ego.
Edwin was the upright knight who spoke his mind even before a duke and two counts.
Aselheit chuckled heartily at the sight.
"Oh dear, age has dulled my memory. Now, where were we?"
"You were about to explain why you want the centipede's essence."
Berger answered while serving Aselheit tea himself.
"Right. I heard this centipede was found in a cave with a flower called Moonlight Grass."
"Yes. I saw it with my own eyes."
Aselheit stared silently at Blanc for a moment before continuing.
"I've heard Moonlight Grass grows only on pure moonlight energy and repels demons. I thought the centipede's essence from the same place might share that trait, so I came here."
"Are you seeking a divine relic against demons? Have the black mages started moving again?"
Bartolomeo eyed Aselheit worriedly. Though young then, he knew how horrific that era had been.
Aselheit set down his tea and replied gravely.
"No, not black mages. I've hunted them my whole life and was certain they'd been eradicated. But somehow, another darkness grows beyond my sight."
Coincidence or not, Blanc felt Aselheit's gaze upon him.
"A new form of calamity. We've taken to calling it the Void."
'...!'
It was the moment Blanc first encountered the Void in this timeline.