Episode 183: Family Trip (1)
The journey back home was long.
As they rode on horseback, the sun began to set. Damien decided to set up camp by the roadside.
He spread out a blanket and lit a campfire. The fire seemed weak, so he added a few more logs.
Gazing into the flickering flames, Damien fell into deep thought.
“I just can’t seem to catch Dorgo’s trail.”
Damien’s goal, both in the past and now, was singular.
To bring Dorgo to justice.
Killing Dorgo was the only way to avenge his grievances and prevent the war of annihilation.
The problem was that Dorgo’s whereabouts remained elusive.
“No matter how cautious Dorgo is… I didn’t expect him to be this thorough.”
Damien had captured several dark wizards connected to Dorgo, hoping to uncover his location by probing their souls.
But things weren’t going as planned.
Since his return, Damien had hunted many dark wizards, yet he hadn’t found even the slightest trace of Dorgo.
“Looks like I’ll have to take a more aggressive approach.”
The minor dark wizards yielded no results.
The only option left was to capture a major player to learn Dorgo’s location.
“The Great Evils might know where Dorgo is.”
The Great Evils were the backbone of Pandemonium and Dorgo’s most powerful supporters.
They had maintained a close relationship with Dorgo for a long time.
If anyone knew how to find Dorgo, it would be them.
“These are the ones I would have to hunt down eventually.”
During the war of annihilation, the damage inflicted on humanity by the Great Evils was beyond words.
Along with Dorgo, they were enemies that had to be eliminated. Not a single one could be left alive.
More than anything, Damien had a personal reason to destroy the Great Evils.
“Especially those bastards who took my family’s souls… they can never be allowed to live.”
The dark wizards who took his family’s souls.
They were all part of the Great Evils. Each had tormented and manipulated his family, dragging them into a sea of suffering.
Grit.
Thinking of them made his teeth clench involuntarily. His anger felt like a blade ready to pierce through his chest.
“To kill them… I need to reach the Master Class first.”
The Great Evils were terrifying beings.
They surpassed even the Master Class dark wizards known as Transcendents.
To fight them, Damien needed to stand among the Transcendents.
“I have everything I need.”
During his visit to the Fafnir Mercenary Corps, Damien acquired legendary elixirs known as the Elixir of Mita and the Fire Essence Stone.
Absorbing these completely would allow him to reach the Master Class he so desired.
However, he couldn’t consume the elixirs just yet. His body was too weak to absorb them.
This was due to the rapid increase in his strength.
It hadn’t even been a year since Damien’s return. The rapid growth in such a short time left his body with many imperfections.
“I’ll need to focus on physical training for now.”
Improving his own skills.
To face the Great Evils, there was another condition he needed to fulfill.
“I need my own force.”
The Great Evils had their own independent forces.
They had followers who could act on their behalf and fight alongside them when needed.
To confront the Great Evils, Damien needed his own force.
“I’ve already laid the groundwork.”
Damien already had a death knight, numerous skeletons, and two other undead under his command.
Compared to the forces of the Great Evils, his was small and weak for now.
But its potential was unmatched.
Dominico had the potential to reach the Master Class, Miya grew stronger with every drop of blood she absorbed, and Munch was a beast once known as the Beast of Destruction.
“Just wait. I’ll drag every last one of you to the depths of hell.”
In the darkness, Damien’s eyes burned quietly.
After several more days of travel, Damien finally arrived home.
But what he found was an unfamiliar scene.
The servants were bustling about, packing up belongings.
“What on earth is going on?”
Damien entered the castle with a puzzled expression.
He wanted to ask someone, but everyone seemed too busy.
Then he spotted Victor chopping wood in the backyard.
“Hup! Ha!”
Victor was splitting logs with loud grunts.
“Hey.”
“Whoa! You scared me! Master Damien! Please, make some noise when you approach!”
Victor protested, startled. Damien chuckled.
“What’s going on here? Everyone seems so busy.”
“Oh, we’re preparing for a trip.”
The unexpected news left Damien bewildered.
“A trip? What do you mean?”
“I don’t know the details. It was decided just the other day.”
It seemed the only way to get more information was to find his family.
Damien was about to head upstairs when he asked Victor, “Why aren’t you helping with the trip preparations and chopping wood instead?”
“I’m going as the count’s attendant on this trip.”
Damien was surprised.
Not just anyone could accompany a noble on a trip. Only those with exceptional skills or who were highly trusted could go.
“Then why are you chopping wood here?”
“Well, if I leave, the wood supply will run out quickly, won’t it? I’m preparing a few days’ worth of wood in advance to prevent that.”
Damien looked at Victor incredulously.
Couldn’t someone else handle the wood if it ran out?
That thought crossed his mind, but Victor’s earnest expression stopped him from saying it.
“Alright. Keep up the good work.”
“Yes, sir!”
With that, Damien headed upstairs.
“Did you pack enough clothes? Double-check just in case.”
He saw his mother giving instructions to the servants.
Damien approached her and called out, “Mother!”
“Oh, Damien!”
She rushed over and embraced him. Damien hugged her tightly in return.
“Did you finish your business? It seemed to take especially long this time.”
“Yes, it’s all done.”
Damien glossed over the details. He couldn’t tell her everything that happened with the mercenaries. It would only worry her.
“But what’s this about a trip? Why so suddenly?”
“Oh, you wouldn’t know since you were away. Your father’s inside; you should ask him. I’m too busy to explain right now.”
His mother gently pushed him towards his father’s study. Damien had no choice but to seek answers there.
“Father, I’m back.”
Damien announced as he entered. Count Haxen paused his writing and looked up.
“So it’s you. You’re finally back.”
“That’s a rather dry welcome. Isn’t that a bit much?”
“You’ve come and gone so often, it’s hard to be excited.”
Count Haxen replied gruffly. Damien felt a twinge of guilt.
“I hear we’re preparing for a trip? What’s this about?”
“The Duke sent an invitation. He reserved the best spot to witness the starlight jellyfish’s spawning season.”
At his father’s words, Damien recalled a buried memory.
Despite the name, starlight jellyfish were not actually jellyfish.
Their bodies were transparent, they floated in the air, and they glowed at night.
They were incredibly rare, almost impossible to find under normal circumstances.
But once a year, during their spawning season, hundreds would rise into the sky.
This spectacle could only be seen in the Kingdom of Apple.
Every year, thousands of people from abroad flocked to witness it.
Securing a prime spot to view the starlight jellyfish was difficult even for the kingdom’s nobility.
So it was only natural to prepare for a trip when such a spot was offered.
“A family trip without me? What if I hadn’t returned today?”
“We would have gone without you.”
Damien feigned a hurt expression. Count Haxen smiled and added, “But you made it back just in time. We can all leave together. I was worried we might have to go without you.”
Count Haxen set down his pen and said, “It’s been so long since we’ve had a family trip. Let’s enjoy this rare opportunity.”
Damien couldn’t remember the last time they had a family trip.
Having experienced a past life, it felt even more distant to him.
“I’ll leave the security to you.”
His father said to Damien, who was lost in thought.
Damien shook off his melancholy and replied, “Leave it to me. If anyone tries to interfere, I’ll take care of them before they can cause trouble.”
His father nodded and said, “But… wouldn’t that just be a crime if you take care of them first?”
“Starlight Jellyfish Festival?”
In an inn in a rural village, a woman at a table frowned in displeasure.
“I was expecting something exciting when you said we had a new target… and this is it? Ruining some festival? What’s so fun about that? Doesn’t everyone agree?”
The woman glanced around, and the others seated at the table nodded in agreement.
“There are plenty of more thrilling targets than this pathetic place… Like raiding a noble’s estate and then gathering everyone to blow it up in one go.”
She spoke, staring straight ahead.
There, a man sat with his chair turned, gazing out the window.
“Sukle, my sweet little cat. Let’s not use such harsh words.”
“Cut the crap and just explain already.”
The woman snapped irritably. The man raised his hands in a gesture of understanding.
“The Starlight Jellyfish Festival isn’t just any festival. It’s so popular that foreign nobles flock to it.”
“Really?”
“If you don’t believe me, you can check it out in the city later. You’ll see how famous it is and how many people come.”
The woman’s interest seemed piqued, and she fell silent.
“Imagine it. Thousands of nobles traveling from distant lands just to see the festival. And you, using your magic to blow them all away.”
The man clasped his hands together and then spread them wide, mimicking an explosion.
“Can you picture how spectacular that would be?”
The woman pondered for a moment, then broke into a bright smile.
“Let’s get started right away.”