Episode 130: Another Woman (2)
Regina Hopper was born as the 98th grandchild of the Mercenary King.
The Mercenary King, Karl Hopper, was as famous for his prowess as he was for his notorious womanizing. He changed women as often as he changed clothes, and there were even days when he had ten women in his arms.
Due to his scandalous lifestyle, the Mercenary King had more children than he could count, and even more grandchildren.
Interestingly, all those who inherited the Mercenary King’s bloodline possessed exceptional talents.
Among them, Regina Hopper seemed to have inherited the Mercenary King’s blood most strongly, showing remarkable talent in swordsmanship from a young age.
She learned faster, grew quicker, and reached higher levels than others.
Because of this, Regina believed she was a genius.
That illusion was shattered at a family gathering when she was ten.
There, she met relatives who were far more talented than she was.
Some had already manifested aura at ten, or had single-handedly slain half a dozen orcs.
These devilish prodigies performed unbelievable feats with ease.
The Mercenary King favored only them, keeping them close and affectionately calling them the “Holy Blood.”
Regina, unable to measure up to them, was not acknowledged by the Mercenary King and had to wander outside.
“You…”
To Regina Hopper, Damian Haxen seemed comparable to those monsters.
No, none of the Holy Blood she had seen could match Damian Haxen.
Who else in the world would dare to consume two elixirs at once to elevate their level?
“You dare to demand a price from me?”
But that didn’t mean she was ready to admit defeat.
Damian Haxen had just ascended from the middle class to the high class.
Moreover, his recent reckless act had left him with significant internal injuries.
Damian Haxen was undoubtedly a monster, but right now, Regina was stronger.
“You arrogant brat. I’ll cut that tongue of yours.”
Regina’s specialty was swift swordsmanship.
While it was disadvantageous in a prolonged battle due to its straightforward attacks, in a short fight, especially with the first strike, it was nearly lethal.
No matter how extraordinary Damian Haxen was, he had only just reached the high class.
He couldn’t possibly match the swift swordsmanship Regina had honed all her life.
I’ll kill him in one strike.
Regina Hopper gathered her magic, ready to strike Damian at any moment.
Yet, for some reason, despite her confidence in victory, something felt off. A creeping fear slithered up her legs.
“It would be wise not to utter any more nonsense.”
Damian stepped closer, fearlessly entering Regina’s range.
In that instant, Regina swung her sword. A flash of a strike aimed to sever Damian’s neck.
Or at least, it should have.
She swung her arm, but the sword didn’t follow. Regina looked down in confusion.
The sword remained sheathed, her wrist caught on the hilt.
”…What?”
She turned her gaze to her arm. Below her wrist, there was nothing.
“W-What did you just do…?”
“I struck first.”
Damian spoke nonchalantly, swinging his sword in the air. A single drop of blood splattered on the ground.
When did he cut me? No, when did he even swing?
Countless questions arose, but Regina forcibly pushed them to the back of her mind.
Right now, she needed to fight. Fortunately, Regina had practiced using a sword with her other hand.
Though not as skillfully as with her right hand, she could still manage a fight…
“Your abdomen is exposed.”
Damian kicked Regina in the stomach. Her mind went blank as her body doubled over.
“Ugh!”
Regina let out a short cry as she was sent flying backward.
“I told you, you’d pay for your insolence.”
Damian immediately followed after Regina. At that moment, Regina pushed off the ground and charged at Damian.
Somehow, a dagger was now in her left hand. She aimed to stab Damian with it.
Without a hint of surprise, Damian kicked Regina’s shin.
With a crack, the sound of a bone fracturing echoed as her body toppled forward.
“Aaah!”
A scream escaped her lips. In that moment, Damian kicked Regina’s face.
Her jaw shattered, teeth scattering. Regina clutched her face, trembling.
Damian looked down at her and casually remarked.
“It seems you haven’t fully paid for your insolence yet.”
A chill ran down her spine.
Regina felt the terror of death. If she stayed like this, she would surely be beaten to death.
“P-Please, spare me…”
Regina hastily prostrated herself at Damian’s feet.
“I-I beg you… just spare my life… please…”
“Fine. I’ll spare you.”
Damian nodded easily. Regina’s face lit up.
“But I’ll take one of your wrists as payment.”
At those words, Regina’s face fell.
“I-I’ve already lost one.”
She showed her severed wrist. Damian replied indifferently.
“That was lost in battle, so it doesn’t count.”
“B-But… if a swordsman loses both wrists, it’s over…!”
There were ways to regenerate lost limbs, but they were complicated and expensive.
Crucially, a regenerated limb had to be retrained from scratch.
Desperately, Regina tried to protect her remaining wrist.
“P-Please… I’ll pay! I’ll pay whatever it takes… so, please…”
Damian swung his sword. Without even using aura, he easily severed Regina’s wrist.
Her second wrist fell to the ground. Regina couldn’t comprehend the situation for a moment.
“A-Ah… Aaaah! Aaaah!”
Regina screamed, unable to touch her wounds with both wrists gone.
“You! Do you think you’ll get away with this? I’ll… I’ll tell my grandfather…”
“You’re bold, considering I still hold your life in my hands.”
Damian placed his sword on Regina’s shoulder. The cold, sharp aura made her face turn pale.
“And do you think the Mercenary King will care for a discarded relative like you?”
Regina’s eyes widened in shock.
“H-How do you know that…?”
“How could I not? The Mercenary King only keeps those he acknowledges by his side. Those like you, wandering outside, are just fools he doesn’t recognize.”
Fools.
The derogatory term made Regina’s eyes burn with anger.
But she knew better than to express her rage.
“Let me show you something interesting.”
Damian held up a silver necklace in front of Regina. Her eyes widened.
“A… a Holy Knight…?”
“Technically, an Honorary Holy Knight.”
Damian tucked the necklace away.
“Attacking me or my family is akin to declaring war on the church. I doubt the Mercenary King would want that.”
For Regina, even her last hope vanished.
“Now get lost. Before I lose my patience and kill you.”
At those words, Regina scrambled away. Damian watched her retreat until she disappeared.
“Damian!”
Louise ran towards Damian, inspecting him closely.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“You saw how easily I handled it. How could I be hurt?”
“Still, you never know.”
Ballard looked at Louise with a surprised expression.
“What are you doing here…?”
Louise stopped in her tracks, guilt written all over her face as she turned to Ballard.
“Well, you see…”
Louise confessed the reason she was there. Ballard chuckled softly.
“So you suspected me?”
Feeling guilty, Louise nodded silently.
“I’m sorry for not telling you.”
“You’re forgiving me?”
“Of course.”
The two embraced tightly. Damian turned away, looking disgusted.
“But I wonder what the mayor will say about this mess…”
Ballard sighed deeply.
He had been building a relationship with a platinum-ranked mercenary, only to ruin it because of Ballard.
“Does the mayor know you’re engaged?”
“He does. Why?”
“Then you don’t need to feel bad. The mayor knew and still asked you to entertain Regina.”
“That’s true, but… I might need to find another job.”
“Then why not join the Haxen family?”
Damian suggested casually.
“What?”
“Huh?”
Both looked surprised.
“With the promotion to a count’s family, we’ll need more hands. You’d be perfect for the job.”
“That… makes sense.”
Ballard scratched his head, as if the simple solution hadn’t occurred to him.
“Are you sure about this?”
“What do you mean?”
“I just thought you might be uncomfortable with me around, Demian…”
Ballad hesitated, clearly aware that Demian wasn’t particularly fond of him.
“That’s a strange thing to say. You’re about to become part of the family. Why would I be uncomfortable?” Demian replied with a smile. Ballad looked genuinely surprised.
“I’ll be counting on you to take care of my sister.”
Ballad nodded earnestly at Demian’s words.
Soon, the city guards arrived, their eyes widening at the devastation before them.
“What on earth happened here…?”
The mayor, who had come out with them, looked around in disbelief.
“Ballad Wigo! What is the meaning of this? Explain yourself immediately!”
“Well…”
Ballad recounted everything he had witnessed.
“What? You did that to Lady Regina…?”
The mayor shouted, practically foaming at the mouth.
“You fool! Didn’t I tell you to keep her happy at all costs? If you do that, the high-class status is practically yours for the taking! Do you understand? High-class…”
“There’s a high-class person right here.”
Demian stepped forward, standing behind Ballad. The mayor fell silent at the sight of Demian.
“Oh, ahaha… Sir Demian.”
“You’ve profited plenty by exploiting my brother-in-law, yet you have the nerve to complain.”
Demian’s sharp tone drained the color from the mayor’s face.
“Go ahead, brother-in-law, say what you need to.”
“You really didn’t have to go this far…”
Ballad hinted at his intention to resign. The mayor was furious at first but quickly quieted down.
Demian’s presence beside Ballad made it easy for him to resolve the situation and move to the Haxen estate.
“Ballad wants to work for our family?”
The Count of Haxen was initially taken aback but soon welcomed Ballad warmly.
“Ha ha, that’s great news. We’ve been short-handed lately. I can trust you with the work.”
“Give me any task, and I’ll do my best,” Ballad replied confidently.
And so, Ballad Wigo joined the Haxen family, bringing a constant smile to Louise’s face for some time.
Despite the long journey from the Haxen estate to the city of Ocean, Demian barely paused before preparing to leave again.
‘I still haven’t dealt with Gastal.’
Gastal was destined to become a key figure, supporting Dorgo’s army in the future.
‘He’s dangerous. I need to be thorough.’
By this time, Gastal had already achieved the rank of a grand dark mage, a genius among geniuses.
A grand dark mage was equivalent to a master-class knight.
In other words, he was a transcendent being beyond human limits.
‘Kill Gastal and obtain the Shard of Erebus.’
With his plan set, Demian departed for the Duchy of Almond.