Episode 28: Revelation (1)
“Lady Chelsea!”
As soon as Damian Haxen left, Rebecca rushed over to support Chelsea Goldpixie.
“Re-Rebecca… did you see? Did you see what that bastard did to me?”
“Yes, I saw. He’s a truly despicable man.”
“I’ll make him pay. I’ll make him regret what he did to me…”
Chelsea trembled, her voice barely a whisper. Suddenly, her eyes flared with anger.
“Mustang Fury!”
Chelsea Goldpixie sprang to her feet and shouted. A man burst through the door from the adjacent room, panting heavily.
“Yes, yes! Mustang Fury, reporting as summoned!”
He was a middle-aged man, with a rather substantial belly.
“What’s going on? Why didn’t the charm work?”
“I-I’m not sure. Sometimes there are people with strong immunity to dark magic. I suspect that might be the case…”
“You incompetent fool!”
Chelsea hurled a teacup from the table, hitting Mustang Fury squarely on the forehead.
“That bastard… I won’t let him live. I’ll make him regret spewing such nonsense at me today!”
Chelsea Goldpixie’s eyes glinted with a fierce determination.
“Where’s Guillaume Blackwing? Where is he?”
“G-Guillaume is at the tavern. He said he needed to blow off some steam after today’s events…”
“There’s a duel tomorrow, and he’s drinking at a tavern?”
Chelsea Goldpixie’s gaze was sharp and deadly.
Mustang Fury wiped the sweat from his brow, nervously watching Chelsea’s reaction.
“Bring him to me immediately! I won’t let this slide!”
“P-Please, Lady, calm down! I’ll talk to him!”
At this, Chelsea forced herself to calm down.
“…Are you sure Guillaume Blackwing can defeat Damian Haxen?”
“Of course! Guillaume Blackwing is our masterpiece! I’ve never seen a knight with such a talent for dark magic.”
“And yet he was humiliated by Damian Haxen today?”
“That was unexpected… With his weapon, the outcome will be completely different.”
Mustang Fury spoke with confidence.
“Please, just be patient! We, Yuran, will place the duchy in your hands!”
Chelsea’s expression was fierce as she replied to Mustang Fury’s bold promise.
“You’d better keep that promise. Or you’ll be the first to die.”
Mustang Fury’s face turned pale.
‘So there was a dark sorcerer hiding after all.’
On the roof of the restaurant.
Damian Haxen lay low, eavesdropping on the conversation between Chelsea and the dark sorcerers.
After leaving the restaurant, Damian had leapt onto the roof, amplifying his hearing with magic to listen in.
‘This isn’t just a simple alliance. Chelsea Goldpixie is treating the dark sorcerers like her servants.’
That’s what it sounded like. But something didn’t sit right with Damian.
‘Dark sorcerers, the scum of the earth, wouldn’t submit so easily.’
The dark sorcerers Damian knew were ruthless, with poison running through their veins instead of blood. They wouldn’t bow down so easily.
The organization the dark sorcerers belonged to was the real issue.
‘Mustang Fury, he said it clearly. Yuran.’
Yuran.
It was the group that had cursed the Haxen estate under the orders of the Black Serpent.
Yuran was a dangerous dark sorcerer group, pursued relentlessly by the church.
And yet, dark sorcerers from such a group were submitting to a novice like Chelsea Goldpixie?
‘What are they really after?’
A conversation suddenly surfaced in Damian’s mind.
-Do you know what dark sorcerers desire most? A place to settle down.
It was something Dorgo had said to Damian in a past life.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t a conversation. Damian hadn’t been in a position to speak at the time.
Dorgo had assumed Damian had lost all sense of reason.
So it was more of a monologue from Dorgo.
-The life of a dark sorcerer is one of a wanderer. They must hide from people’s eyes, flee from the church’s pursuit. As time passes, they all desperately wish for a place to settle.
That’s why dark sorcerers try so hard to infiltrate society.
To secure a safe place to live.
‘I see what Yuran is after. They want to control the duchy through Chelsea Goldpixie.’
Few dark sorcerers survive once they catch the church’s attention.
So Yuran must be seeking a powerful shield to protect them.
And they’ve chosen Chelsea Goldpixie to help them seize control of the duchy.
‘These vermin are overstepping their bounds.’
Yuran’s attempt to dominate the duchy reminded Damian of how Dorgo had enslaved him in a past life.
‘I’ll crush that plan completely.’
Damian’s eyes gleamed with a chilling resolve.
Damian returned to the guest room.
Once there, he began channeling the dark magic stored within him into a bracelet.
‘The more I see it, the more useful it is.’
The bracelet, acquired after killing Agito, a Yuran officer, could store and conceal any kind of energy.
Thanks to it, Damian could hide the dark magic he absorbed without a trace.
‘I’d love to rid myself of all dark magic.’
Damian loathed both dark sorcerers and dark magic. He wished to erase them from existence.
Yet he continued to gather dark magic as a precaution.
‘Life is unpredictable.’
As a mercenary, Damian had been thriving until he met the demon Dorgo, which ruined his life.
To prevent such unforeseen disasters, he stored dark magic.
After storing all the dark magic in the bracelet, Damian drew his sword, the Celestial Blade.
‘It’s better to show than to explain to the duke.’
Damian’s plan was simple.
He intended to destroy the dark magic within Guillaume Blackwing.
Once the dark magic was shattered, it would be released, revealing its presence to all.
‘The Celestial Blade’s resonance is perfect for this.’
Damian lightly flicked the blade with his finger.
A low hum resonated.
Even a slight touch made the sword vibrate fiercely.
Damian infused the blade with magic and flicked it again.
The hum grew stronger, shattering a nearby window.
‘It’s not easy.’
Damian frowned.
He had intended to break a chair, not the window.
But he couldn’t control the sound properly, and the window shattered instead.
‘How did the Sword Maestro manage this?’
The Sword Maestro had a talent for both swordsmanship and sound.
He was born with what people called perfect pitch.
Damian lacked the Sword Maestro’s ear for sound.
Though he understood the technique and the concept, he couldn’t wield it skillfully right away.
‘I’ll need some practice before tomorrow’s duel.’
Damian spent the night honing the sword’s resonance.
The next day, the day of the duel arrived.
The duke’s retainers gathered at the training grounds, eager to witness the duel.
Among them were many of the duke’s knights, as well as the knights participating in the marquisate’s duel.
“Who do you think will win, Sir Pavel?”
One of the candidate knights asked a stocky knight.
The small-framed knight, Pavel, scratched his chin, deep in thought.
“If we’re talking reputation alone, Guillaume Blackwing should win.”
Though a knight from a distant land, Guillaume Blackwing’s fame was well-known even here.
“Then we’ll finally be free of Damian Haxen, that devil of a man?”
The candidate knight shivered as he spoke.
In recent days, the dueling knights had suffered under Damian Haxen’s brutal training.
Resistance was futile; any attempt to flee was met with capture.
What tormented the dueling knights most was Damian Haxen’s bizarre striking technique.
No matter how hard he hit, no marks were left on their bodies.
Thus, they couldn’t even report him to their superiors.
“If Sir Guillaume Blackwing wins, that’s how it’ll be.”
With such a significant clash, the losing side would likely leave the duke’s service.
If Damian Haxen lost, the dueling knights would be free from their nightmare… but…
“Somehow, I don’t think that man will lose…”
Pavel Vermond thought of Damian Haxen.
His strange swordsmanship, his unreadable mind, and his ruthless hands.
Just imagining it made his knees weak with fear.
“Oh, come on, surely Guillaume Blackwing will win.”
A fellow knight laughed as he spoke. Just then, a man let out a battle cry as he stepped onto the training grounds.
“Hyaaaah!”
He was a massive, muscular man. His arms were particularly long and thick, like tree trunks.
“That man is Guillaume Blackwing…”
Pavel Vermond stared at him with a look of fascination.
It was obvious at first glance. Even if they were at the same level, Guillaume Blackwing was far stronger.
“Damian Haxen! Get up here! Today, I’ll crush you!”
Guillaume Blackwing shouted as he stepped into the training ground.
His behavior was more reminiscent of a gladiator than a knight, and Pavel Vermond couldn’t help but frown.
He was undoubtedly skilled, but he lacked any semblance of refinement or dignity.
“Brother, that’s the man.”
At that moment, a knight shook Pavel Vermond’s arm, pointing somewhere.
Damian Haxen had just appeared at the training ground.
“So you didn’t run away after all!”
Guillaume Blackwing grinned fiercely upon spotting Damian Haxen.
In contrast, Damian Haxen let out a long yawn.
“Ugh, I didn’t sleep well last night. My shoulders are stiff.”
He rubbed one shoulder and twisted his neck from side to side, showing no sign of tension or fighting spirit. Guillaume Blackwing ground his teeth in frustration at the sight.
“You’re just begging to be killed, aren’t you?”
A fierce aura began to emanate from Guillaume Blackwing, and Pavel Vermond swallowed dryly.
Guillaume Blackwing was even stronger than he had imagined.
He glared at Damian Haxen as if he might charge at any moment.
But the fight never began.
“It seems I’m a bit late.”
The Duke had entered the training ground.
“Sir Damian, did you sleep well last night?”
“I didn’t get a wink of sleep, busy practicing something.”
“Oh dear. I don’t know what had you so engrossed, but don’t skip sleep. It’s the best remedy.”
The Duke greeted Damian warmly before approaching Guillaume Blackwing.
“Guillaume Blackwing.”
”…Yes, Your Grace.”
Guillaume Blackwing replied, glancing sideways at Gaol Heimrich standing beside the Duke.
“I expect you to accept the outcome gracefully.”
The Duke’s words, as if the result was already decided, made Guillaume Blackwing’s expression darken.
”…Yes, I will.”
But with Gaol Heimrich present, he couldn’t let his temper explode.
“Well then, let’s not drag this out. Let the duel begin.”
The Duke’s declaration echoed.
As soon as the duel began, Guillaume Blackwing charged across the training ground.
He held a hand axe in each hand, both glowing with a fierce red aura.
“Damian Haxeeeen!”
Unable to contain his excitement, Guillaume Blackwing shouted loudly. Damian Haxen frowned at the noise.
‘Noisy brat.’
Despite his annoyance, Damian Haxen instinctively analyzed Guillaume Blackwing.
‘The muscles in both arms are equally developed. He’s ambidextrous, not favoring one hand over the other.’
Even when using dual weapons, techniques differ depending on whether one is right-handed or left-handed.
But Guillaume Blackwing was ambidextrous, meaning his technique had no gaps.
‘The depth changes with each step. He can’t control his magic power consistently.’
His inability to manage his magic power evenly resulted in varying force with each step, causing differences in depth.
‘This should be enough.’
At best, he was a fake knight who had elevated his rank through dark magic. Damian found no value in further analysis.
“Not dodging? Planning to block me head-on?”
Guillaume Blackwing, now right in front of him, raised his axes high.
“Plenty have died trying that!”
Guillaume Blackwing’s arms bulged with power as he swung both axes at Damian.
Damian blocked the axes with his Celestial Sword. As soon as they collided, the sword vibrated fiercely.
Woom.
The Celestial Sword emitted a wave. The ground around Damian shattered.
The wave sent Guillaume Blackwing flying. He twisted in mid-air and landed on his feet.
“W-What did you just do…?”
Guillaume Blackwing looked at Damian, bewildered.
Others were equally shocked.
“W-What was that?”
“I have no idea.”
“There was a sound, and then Guillaume Blackwing just flew away?”
No one had seen such a defensive technique before, leaving them all in confusion.
”…That was.”
Only one person, Gaol Heimrich, recognized the technique Damian had used.
The Duke turned to Gaol Heimrich and asked.
“Sir Gaol, do you know what technique Damian Haxen used?”
“A few years ago, a knight we hired used a similar technique.”
Gaol Heimrich looked at Damian Haxen with amazement.
“It was such a unique technique that it stuck with me. I never imagined Damian Haxen could use it too.”
Gaol Heimrich pondered for a moment before speaking to the Duke.
“If my memory serves me right… you might see something even more interesting.”
“Where’d you learn that weird trick?”
Guillaume Blackwing charged again, pounding the ground as he rushed at Damian.
Damian ran his fingers along the blade of the Celestial Sword.
The blade began to vibrate slowly. As the vibration intensified, so did the sword’s hum.
When the hum reached its peak, Damian flicked the blade with his fingers.
At that moment, a shock hit Guillaume Blackwing’s abdomen.
“Ugh!”
Guillaume Blackwing stopped in his tracks, letting out a groan, and looked at Damian with a confused expression.
“This bastard… keeps doing weird stuff…”
Woom.
Damian flicked the blade again.
This time, Guillaume Blackwing’s face contorted as if struck by an invisible club.
“Argh!”
Damian flicked the blade once more, sending a shock to Guillaume’s side.
“Argh!”
Guillaume Blackwing swung his axes wildly, but they hit nothing.
“What is that? Is Sir Damian using magic?”
“Sir Damian is a knight, isn’t he?”
The retainers were bewildered by the bizarre scene.
“You bastard! Enough of this!”
Guillaume Blackwing roared in anger, swinging his axes. A red aura shot towards Damian.
Wooooom.
At that moment, the hum of Damian’s sword changed. It had been heavy, but now it was sharp.
As the sharp hum resonated, the aura Guillaume Blackwing had unleashed split in two, losing its focus and dissipating.
”…What?”
The unexpected sight left Guillaume Blackwing frozen.
Seizing the moment, Damian made the sword hum again.
In that instant, Guillaume Blackwing leapt into the air. The training ground floor was sliced as if by a blade.
“This crazy bastard!”
Guillaume Blackwing, flustered, charged at Damian. Damian glanced at him.
‘Time to stop playing around.’
He had been toying with Guillaume Blackwing to test the Swordmaster’s technique.
Now it was time to reveal the truth to everyone.
‘The terrifying thing about the Swordmaster isn’t their prowess in large-scale battles. It’s their ability to attack internally with the sword’s resonance.’
The level the Swordmaster had reached was known as “Resonance.”
Originally, the Swordmaster could only inflict external injuries with the sword’s hum.
But upon reaching “Resonance,” it became possible to affect the opponent’s internal body.
Every time the Swordmaster made the sword hum, the enemy would experience the agony of their insides being turned upside down.
‘It doesn’t work on masters, though.’
Masters had bodies trained to the extreme and managed their magic power with precision.
Thus, it was nearly impossible to inflict internal damage through resonance.
‘But it’s still a useful technique.’
Damian flicked the Celestial Sword. The hum began to resonate softly.
He gripped the vibrating sword with both hands, raised it high, and struck the ground with all his might.
A massive sound filled the hall, shaking heads.
The enormous wave shook Guillaume Blackwing’s body. He froze in place.
“You, you…”
Guillaume Blackwing’s face began to turn pale.
“Ugh…!”
He vomited something from his mouth.
It wasn’t blood. It was a much darker, stickier liquid.
“Why is Sir Guillaume doing that?”
“Something’s not right.”
The substance Guillaume vomited hit the ground and turned into gas, spreading everywhere.
The black mist filled the hall, and the retainers’ faces hardened.
“This, this can’t be…”
There was only one type of magic in the world that was black.
“Dark magic!”
The retainers shouted in horror.