Northern Grand Duke, Richard Pierce (1)
Northern Grand Duke, Richard Pierce (1)
The pristine white snowfields were gone.
What hit him first was the scent of blood.
An acrid stench filled his nose.
"Urgh."
A groan escaped Ian's lips.
'...What happened?'
One thing was clear: he had lost consciousness after stepping into the rift in the snowfields.
From that point, he could barely grasp the situation.
This spatial rift magic, or whatever it was—he just couldn't get used to it.
'Dammit.'
Losing consciousness made that inevitable.
—Clang!
The violent clash of metal rang out.
As if that sound were an alarm, his senses and awareness began to awaken.
His head felt warm.
Ian pressed a hand to his forehead.
Something thin and warm trickled down.
He wiped it and looked. Blood.
Fresh blood, unmistakably his own.
Was this the source of the overwhelming reek of blood that filled the air?
He was dazed, as if still trapped in a dream.
"Too slow! Ian Blackangus!"
Flash.
His eyes flew open at someone's shout.
Not just anyone—Yergina.
Ian immediately assessed his surroundings.
It was dark. But there was a ceiling.
They were indoors. Judging by the architectural style, it was likely somewhere in the main hall of the Richard estate.
The problem was the corpses scattered everywhere.
Several masked bodies.
A few more with hair dyed scarlet and eyes stained blood-red.
"...Rina, Danya."
And right beside him, familiar faces lay collapsed.
"......."
"......."
Thankfully, they were still breathing.
A chill suddenly ran through him.
—Crunch!
Ian immediately deployed Lunnar to block it.
His hand went numb.
"Are you alright?!"
Yergina's voice rang out once more.
He turned his head toward the voice and saw her back.
Her thighs and shoulders were flushed red, as if she were confronting someone.
The opponent beyond her was hidden from view.
But.
The presence was heavy.
A presence of immeasurable weight.
The space itself seemed to warp around that figure.
And its aura was utterly dark and vile, beyond description.
...That man is a demon.
Even without seeing him clearly, Ian was certain of it.
—BOOM!
A tremendous shockwave engulfed the area with a deafening roar.
Yergina was pushed back and came to stand beside Ian.
"Have you come to your senses now?! You're too slow, Ian!"
"Sorry."
"Prepare to defend yourself. He's a damn monster. He'll attack immediately."
Thick smoke hung in the aftermath of the shock.
Ian immediately took up a stance.
Contrary to her warning, however, no attack came.
Instead,
—Thump. Thump.
Heavy footsteps echoed.
One step, then another.
A large, dark silhouette loomed beyond the smoke.
Soon the smoke cleared, revealing the figure.
"Hmph."
A deep, savage voice, like a beast's growl.
The man who made that sound had dark blue hair swept neatly back. He was a middle-aged man of stalwart build, his mere posture exuding immense authority.
It was a face Ian knew well.
A face he'd seen countless times beyond a screen—one that had driven him to despair, and one he'd rejoiced in having finally overcome.
The final boss of Chapter 2.
Head of House Pierce and the Northern Grand Duke.
Richard Pierce.
Just standing before him made Ian feel as though his own presence had shriveled to nothing.
As if he were an ant staring up at a human foot.
The gap in their standing was so immense it couldn't even be fathomed.
His mouth opened.
"So, you've come out as well."
Ian swallowed.
So, you as well.
Those words carried tremendous weight.
He almost understood, yet couldn't quite grasp it.
Had this man, just like Ian himself, been persistently watching and tracking him?
But why?
Ian stopped pondering.
Because Richard Pierce's eyes were fixed on him as if they could pierce through everything.
The sharp, keening gaze of Sharon Pierce—now he saw where she got it.
Even if it wasn't the case, it felt like his mind was being read, so Ian shut down all thought.
Yes. What was there to agonize over in this situation?
If a fight was inevitable, then he'd set aside every worry and simply focus on the battle.
"Hoh."
Richard Pierce looked down at him with obvious amusement.
Ian gave a polite bow.
"I have been staying here for some time at the family's invitation, yet I failed to properly greet the head of the house. Please forgive my oversight. I am Ian Blackangus."
"Huh?"
Richard laughed as if caught off guard.
What child would offer a greeting like that in a situation like this?
The face that moments before had been full of fear and worry was gone, replaced by a bold young man standing before him.
Richard smiled.
Though no one would call it a smile.
It was a smile that made one's blood run cold, a smile that sent a chill down anyone's spine just to look at it.
Yergina, still in her stance beside him, swallowed hard.
"Ian. Ian Blackangus. You are as interesting a child as I had heard."
"I am honored to have pleased the Northern Grand Duke."
"And more polite than the rumors suggest."
"Thank you."
"Heh heh heh."
He laughed, a sound like a beast's growl.
"I am the master of this house, Richard Pierce. The hospitality is modest, but please, make yourself at ease and stay."
"Modest, you say? The First Young Master's hospitality was splendid, and the spectacle you've shown me was truly remarkable."
"Oh? Spectacle? I do not recall showing you anything."
"Did you not show me the deepest places no one else may casually witness? Those snowfields were quite vast."
Yergina flinched at Ian's words.
The snowfields referred to Richard's dantian—was he deliberately provoking this monster of a man?
'What in the world are you thinking, Ian?'
Contrary to her fears, Richard answered calmly.
"I see. And did the sight please you?"
"Need I say? It was a magnificent view. I doubt such a place exists anywhere else in the world. There was no river, no ocean, but perhaps that is why it held such profound poetry."
"Hoh. Why is that? Most people consider places with water to be the most poetic."
"Snow is also water. The snow covering those plains is water. And when it flows on the wind, does it not become a river? The mountains were high, and a river of snow flowed—truly the most spectacular of spectacles."
"You have an eye for scenery. Now I understand why that person has taken an interest in you."
"Thank you. Which brings me to my point."
"Speak, then."
"Having taken in such a view, I find myself a bit stiff. Might I return home? I do miss my familiar bedding."
Richard laughed.
"Amusing. So, you wish to go back?"
"Yes."
"Unfortunately, I do not think that will be possible."
"Ah, so escape is out of the question... Can't be helped, I suppose."
Yergina, standing tense beside Ian, turned to stare at him in disbelief.
Ian looked at her and shrugged.
"It was worth a try."
'...Is he insane?'
Yergina nearly blurted out something foul in her shock.
Richard, watching their exchange, spoke.
"Fascinating. You are completely unlike the reports I received. I can see why the one who observed you personally would be so intrigued."
What did he mean by that?
Ian tilted his head.
Richard stepped forward.
"I, too, would like to have a look. At you."
—Thump.
It was a single step.
But the force that rippled from it was so immense the very earth seemed to tremble.
An overwhelming presence.
Even Yergina, standing beside him, staggered slightly.
Yet Ian remained standing quietly, gazing back at Richard.
Yergina stepped between them.
"Richard Pierce."
"Yergina. Your manner of speaking to me, your father and the head of this family, has grown rather poor."
"My manner has been poor ever since I learned you were part of the Blood Rock Sect. You are no longer a father or anything to me."
"Is that so."
"However."
Yergina pointed at Ian.
"Would you let this boy and those two young girls go? We can settle this as an internal family matter."
Yergina had been the first to leap out of the spatial rift.
The moment she emerged, she traded blows with Richard Pierce—mace against sword—and she had realized instantly.
This man was still immensely powerful, even with his dantian shattered.
She had reached the 5-star realm, but Richard Pierce was overwhelmingly strong. At even a fraction of his full power, all she could do was barely buy time.
It was a hopeless fight.
So her only thought was to at least save these children.
That way, they might plan for the future.
But it was Ian who interrupted that decision.
Ian grabbed the hem of her clothes from behind.
"I'll step forward here."
Yergina stared at him in sheer disbelief.
Was he still not in his right mind?
What could he possibly do against someone radiating such force with a shattered dantian?
Yergina spoke somewhat sharply.
"Stand back. I'm trying to spare your life, at least."
"That's not it."
"...What?"
Ian smiled faintly.
"I get it now. Even if I run, that man will chase me to the ends of the earth."
"What are you talking about?"
"The Northern Grand Duke. I'm his target."
"What do you mean? If that were the case, he wouldn't have swallowed you up to begin with."
"Back then, he probably didn't know me in detail. But now that's changed. I don't know why the Grand Duke's mind suddenly shifted, but..."
—Thump.
"It seems I'm quite an important figure."
Ian took a step toward Richard.
"Among the Blood Rock Sect."