Episode 217: Memory (2)
After the encounter, Damian and his companions returned to the mansion.
The journey back was silent, but as soon as they stepped inside, the atmosphere shifted to one of excitement.
“Brother! What was that technique you showed us earlier?”
“Yeah! You swung your sword and—whoosh!—an arm went flying! How did you do that?”
“Please, teach me too! How did you dodge those swift strikes?”
The three of them bombarded Damian with questions, their curiosity insatiable. Damian, however, looked weary.
He knew that explaining it to those who hadn’t reached the Master Class would be futile—they wouldn’t understand.
“Ah, what am I doing? This isn’t the time for questions like these.”
Fortunately, Rachel quickly regained her composure. As expected of a future swordmaster, her ability to assess the situation was impressive…
“We’ve been invited by His Majesty! What will you wear? Do you know all the imperial etiquette?”
“She’s right, brother! You can’t just show up unprepared for an invitation from the Emperor!”
“The Emperor? Is it really that big of a deal?”
Veronica’s question drew everyone’s attention, and she looked flustered.
“What? Did I say something strange?”
“Of course! It’s an invitation from the Emperor!”
“Even as a knight of the Apple Kingdom, asking such a question is shocking.”
Rachel sighed, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Many are invited to the palace, but Sir Damian received a ‘personal’ invitation from His Majesty. There’s an unwritten rule in such cases.”
“And what’s that?”
“You get to receive a gift from His Majesty.”
Rachel’s eyes sparkled with a dreamy expression.
“And it’s not just any ordinary gift. You can choose one of the Empire’s treasures. Though, you must return it before you die.”
The Empire was not only the oldest but also the most powerful nation on the continent, and its treasures were of immeasurable value.
“Sir Damian, given your great achievements, you might be able to request a gift from His Majesty. What are you thinking of choosing? An elixir? A weapon?”
Rachel’s eyes shone with anticipation, making Damian feel a bit pressured.
“I haven’t really thought about it yet.”
“You can’t be serious! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! You need to start thinking about it now!”
Rachel wasn’t about to let Damian off the hook easily. He sighed, looking a bit annoyed.
“A gift, huh…”
As Damian pondered, an idea suddenly came to him.
“Come to think of it, I heard there’s a Magia Armor in the Empire’s vault.”
Magia Armor was essentially a magical armor crafted by demons, possessing unique abilities.
Normally, Damian wouldn’t be too interested in such things.
However, the Magia Armor in the Empire’s vault was different.
Hemeira.
It was the armor Damian Haxen had used during his time as a Death Knight.
Inside a vast cavern.
Dorgo was dissecting a monster’s corpse, the sound of slicing flesh echoing continuously.
“Hmm hmm hmm.”
He hummed a tune, seemingly in high spirits.
“Ah, I see now. So that’s how it works. How could I have missed something so simple?”
Lately, Dorgo had been experiencing a period of great happiness.
His research, which had been stalled for so long, was finally progressing smoothly.
It was as if a divine presence had taken residence in his mind, constantly inspiring him.
“Ah, this is the life.”
Just then, a man hurried into the cavern, his face urgent as he addressed Dorgo.
“Master Dorgo, Evaris has been confirmed dead.”
Dorgo paused, setting down his knife and tongs, and turned to the man.
“That one? Dead already?”
Evaris had been a carefully crafted experiment, her possession of the Azure Eye being proof of that.
The eye allowed her to see magic, making her a formidable opponent for most knights. Any technique used against her would be read instantly.
But that wasn’t all.
Her body had been enhanced with artificially cultivated muscles and her nerves strengthened with special chemicals.
As a result, Evaris had a body optimized for swift swordplay, her speed and power nearly doubled compared to before.
“I thought she’d last a few days at least. It seems the new prodigy in the Empire is stronger than I anticipated.”
Despite the experiment’s premature demise, Dorgo wasn’t particularly disappointed.
Evaris wouldn’t have lived long anyway, due to the excessive modifications.
Sending her to the Empire was merely a means to gather as much combat data as possible before her inevitable end.
“Ah, the Empire. Just when things get dull, another monster appears.”
“It wasn’t the Empire’s prodigy who killed her. It was Damian Haxen, the one I mentioned before.”
Dorgo’s expression turned blank for a moment.
“Damian Haxen? Didn’t he just become a Master Class recently? How did he manage to kill Evaris?”
“According to our informants on the scene… Evaris swung her sword dozens of times but couldn’t even graze his clothes.”
Dorgo’s jaw dropped.
“She couldn’t even touch him?”
“Yes… and after Damian Haxen severed her arm, he struck her head, resulting in her death.”
Dorgo’s expression remained blank for a moment.
“An experiment with the Azure Eye and a body modified for swift swordplay… and she died so easily? Are you sure?”
“I’m certain.”
The man replied in a calm voice.
Dorgo stroked his chin, lost in thought for a while.
“Interesting.”
A smile slowly spread across Dorgo’s face.
“From the moment I heard about him, I knew he was fascinating.”
Throughout his long life, Dorgo had encountered countless geniuses.
The greatest he’d seen in the past century was the Empire’s top swordsman.
That madman had risen to the top with overwhelming talent and was now considered the strongest in humanity.
But even the tales of the Empire’s top swordsman paled in comparison to Damian Haxen.
“I can’t resist. I have to see this Damian Haxen for myself.”
Dorgo’s eyes gleamed with a dangerous light.
“Perhaps he’s the key to fulfilling my long-held ambition.”
The downfall of the Empire.
Dorgo had endured over a thousand years with that singular goal in mind.
But the Empire was so powerful that even a millennium of preparation hadn’t revealed a way to bring it down.
If Damian Haxen was the genius Dorgo hoped for, a prodigy beyond his time…
He might just be the one to achieve the Empire’s downfall.
“Go and relay my message to the Great Evils.”
At Dorgo’s command, the man knelt.
“Capture Damian Haxen and bring him to me. If you succeed, I’ll grant you anything you desire.”
Dorgo’s command quickly spread among the Great Evils, causing a stir.
Dorgo was known as the master of all dark sorcerers.
He possessed a wealth of secret knowledge, and his hidden vault was filled with rare treasures.
However, not all the Great Evils intended to hand Damian over to Dorgo.
“Ah, this is troublesome.”
The temptress Slara sighed as she listened to her subordinate’s report.
“This means every Great Evil will be after Damian Haxen.”
Unlike the others, Slara had seen Damian Haxen with her own eyes.
She knew all too well just how extraordinary a genius he was.
“How long has it been since we parted, and he’s already a Master Class… and he even defeated that experiment…”
Slara sighed, deep in thought.
Dorgo’s orders took precedence over everything. If he demanded her life, she would gladly offer it.
But this was different.
Throughout her life, Slara had never failed to obtain a man she desired.
Whether he had a lover, a family, or belonged to another Great Evil.
None of it mattered. If she wanted something, she took it. That desire was what propelled her to her current position.
After much contemplation, Slara made her decision.
“Dorgo’s command is important, but… I can’t let anyone else have him.”
She turned to her subordinate.
“Inform the other Great Evils that I intend to present Damian Haxen to Dorgo, so no one should touch him.”
Of course, Slara had no intention of handing Damian over to Dorgo.
It was merely a pretext to deter her rivals.
“If anyone ignores my warning and approaches Damian Haxen…”
Slara’s eyes glinted coldly.
“Tell them they’ll be risking their lives.”
“What nonsense is this!”
The Great Evil, Weapon Master Ahoteph, slammed his fist against the wall.
“That he wants Damian Haxen? And all the other Great Evils are moving?”
“M-Master… please calm down…”
“Would you be calm if you were me? After the humiliation I suffered at his hands!”
Ahoteph gritted his teeth.
He, a Great Evil, had been defeated by a mere novice who had just reached the Master Class.
Granted, he hadn’t been at full strength, only able to use half of his true power.
But that didn’t erase the humiliation Ahoteph had endured.
“I won’t allow it… He’s mine. Only I can kill him.”
Ahoteph recalled the magical sword Damian wielded.
Its hardness was unmatched, even deflecting aura blades without a scratch, and its power to erase objects was formidable.
Just imagining it made his body heat up. He was determined to get his hands on that cursed sword.
“Let the other villains know. Demian Haxen is mine to offer to ‘him,’ so they better not lay a finger on him.”
Of course, Ahoteph had no real intention of handing Demian Haxen over to Dorogo.
Doing so would not only prevent him from settling old scores but also risk exposing the existence of the cursed sword.
“And make sure to tell them—if they ignore my warning, I’ll kill the first one who tries!”