Episode 58: Rest (1)
Three days later, Damian finally arrived at the Haxen estate.
“Damian! Abel!”
Upon hearing of Damian’s arrival, the Viscount and Viscountess of Haxen rushed out to greet him.
“We heard rumors about a dark sorcerer appearing at the jousting tournament. We were so worried! Thank goodness you’re both safe!”
The Viscount enveloped Damian and Abel in a warm embrace.
“Damian, did the tournament end without any trouble? Are you hurt anywhere?”
The Viscountess examined Damian with a worried expression.
“Not only am I perfectly fine, but I also won the tournament.”
Though the award ceremony was skipped, Damian had demanded that Count Copperhead officially declare him the winner. Given his performance and the fact that countless nobles and spectators had witnessed it, there was no real issue.
“What? You won? Is that true?”
His father asked in disbelief. Damian replied with a playful grin.
“Wow, you seem really surprised. Did you not believe in my skills?”
“Of course not! Haha, well done, truly well done!”
His father clapped him on the shoulders, beaming with pride.
“But where’s your sister?”
“Luise sent a letter saying she’d be back after a bit more rest.”
Damian frowned slightly. Luise had left the estate to meet her fiancé, whom Damian didn’t particularly like. Compared to Luise, he found the fiancé lacking in both looks and abilities. He wished she could find someone better, but their relationship was too solid for him to interfere.
“By the way, Abel, how did your proposal go?”
At his father’s question, Abel blushed and replied, “I-it was successful.”
“Really?”
A smile spread across his father’s face.
“Then we’ll have to visit the Count’s family soon.”
“Well… I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“What do you mean? Preparing for a wedding is no small task!”
“That’s right. Remember how we almost didn’t finish everything in time for our own wedding?”
The couple laughed, reminiscing about the past.
“Father, Mother, it’s not that…”
“May I come out and introduce myself now?”
A voice suddenly came from inside the carriage, and the Viscount and Viscountess of Haxen widened their eyes in surprise.
“O-Olivia… Wait a moment…”
Before Abel could stop her, the carriage door opened, and Olivia stepped out gracefully.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Olivia Copperhead.”
She curtsied, holding the edges of her skirt. The couple’s jaws dropped at her introduction.
“A-Abel… Did I just hear what I think I heard?”
“O-Olivia Copperhead? Why is the Count’s daughter here…?”
Abel glanced at Olivia, silently asking if he should explain. She nodded.
“Father, you see…”
Abel recounted everything that had happened at the Copperhead estate, from start to finish. As the story unfolded, the couple’s eyes grew wider and wider.
“So, to summarize, there was a conflict between Damian and Sophia’s lover?”
“Yes.”
“Sophia’s lover tried to use dark magic against Damian?”
“Yes.”
“Olivia tipped off Damian, who then called in the church?”
“Yes.”
“The church raided the tournament grounds and took over the Count’s estate?”
“Yes.”
“In exchange for supporting the Count, Damian demanded your marriage to Olivia and half of the estate’s wealth?”
”…Yes.”
The Viscount rubbed his face with his palm.
“Damian!”
His father shouted, startling Damian out of a yawn.
“What is it?”
“You promised me you’d go and come back quietly!”
”…Oh, right.”
Damian’s nonchalant response made the Viscount feel a tension in his neck.
“Father, I swear I tried to keep a low profile. But they started it. What was I supposed to do, just let it slide?”
Damian sighed, exasperated.
The Viscount clenched his fist, frustrated because Damian’s words were true.
“This incident has brought too much attention to the Haxen family. Do you realize how dangerous that is?”
The church’s interference had tarnished the Copperhead family’s reputation, and the invited nobles had suffered at the hands of the church, losing their favor. On top of that, half of the estate’s wealth was to be transferred to Olivia Copperhead. The Copperhead family would no longer be considered a great noble house. Essentially, Damian had orchestrated the downfall of a major noble family. Now, the name of the Haxen family would spread throughout the western region.
Becoming famous wasn’t always a good thing. It made them an easy target for gossip and attacks.
“Many will come to challenge the Haxen family now. Some won’t like our sudden rise to fame, while others will want to steal our reputation. We’ll have enemies for all sorts of reasons.”
Would people leave a protruding stone alone? No, they’d try to break it, claiming it was an eyesore, a danger, or a potential tripping hazard.
The Viscount was deeply concerned about this.
“Don’t worry about that. If anyone acts up, I’ll make an example out of them. Then everyone else will get the message and back off.”
Damian spoke nonchalantly, and the Viscount let out a deep sigh.
“Dear…”
The Viscountess placed a comforting hand on her husband’s shoulder, and he grasped it gratefully, thinking only his wife truly understood him.
“With Abel and Olivia getting married, and Olivia inheriting half of the Copperhead estate, our Haxen family will grow significantly, won’t it?”
The Viscountess’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Whenever I attended gatherings, people would look down on us, saying the Haxen family was too small or not prestigious enough. Now we can finally put them in their place!”
“W-wife… That’s not the point right now…”
“With the Haxen family growing, we need to think about what to do next. Isn’t that what’s important?”
Her words snapped the Viscount back to reality. She was right. The situation couldn’t be undone. While the attention on the Haxen family was worrisome, they had gained much more.
“Miss Olivia, I’m sorry for keeping you standing here. Please, come inside.”
“Please, call me Mother.”
“Oh my, she called me Mother.”
The Viscountess was overjoyed.
“And you can call me Father.”
“F-Father…!”
Hearing the title for the first time, the Viscount’s face softened.
“Dear daughter-in-law! Come inside!”
“Do you have any favorite foods? Just let us know, and we’ll prepare them for dinner!”
The couple led Olivia into the mansion, leaving the brothers momentarily forgotten.
“Let’s go in too.”
”…Yes.”
The two brothers followed them into the house.
Olivia Copperhead adapted to the Haxen estate faster than expected. She quickly won over the Viscount and Viscountess with her warm demeanor and broke down barriers with the servants by helping with the estate’s work.
“The windmill’s blades are worn out. It would be wise to repair them this winter.”
“I heard Mrs. Silence is pregnant. How about sending her some nourishing food?”
“In winter, nomads from the north come to sell sheep and goats. Buying them cheaply could yield a significant profit later.”
Before long, Olivia was managing many of the estate’s affairs. She traveled around, addressing the concerns of the estate’s residents and offering suggestions to benefit the estate.
“Thanks to Olivia, things are much easier now.”
During dinner, the Viscount spoke with satisfaction.
Olivia nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
“The servants are saying the same. They’re grateful for Olivia’s attention.”
The Viscount and Viscountess praised Olivia’s exceptional abilities repeatedly.
“She’s quite the capable woman,” Damian thought, holding Olivia in high regard. He had noticed her competence and decisiveness since the tournament.
“Abel has found a wonderful partner.”
Though Damian was the eldest, he had no intention of inheriting the Haxen estate. He planned to leave it to Abel. He had no interest in estate management and had other responsibilities that required his attention. When Abel eventually took over, Olivia would undoubtedly be a great asset.
As Damian pondered this, his father spoke up.
“Damian, don’t you think it’s time you found someone special too?”
Caught off guard, Damian choked on his food.
“Cough, cough! What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
“Is it so strange? You’re at the age to consider marriage.”
“Proposals are coming in from all sides… Would you like to consider any?”
His mother suggested with a gentle smile.
“I think it’s too soon for me to marry…”
“What nonsense. There’s no such thing as marrying too early, only too late.”
“A man needs to settle down somewhere. That’s how you find stability.”
As soon as Demian expressed his refusal, his parents began to speak rapidly, like a machine gun.
“You should meet someone nice soon. Even Abel is getting married, and if you’re alone, people will think…”
“I hear the eldest daughter of the Baron of Children is quite lovely and capable. I’ll arrange a meeting for you, just give it a try…”
Demian let their words go in one ear and out the other.
After finishing his meal, Demian headed to the forest.
He planned to dedicate the entire day to training.
But once he arrived, he found it impossible to focus.
His mind was a tangled mess.
“Marriage, huh…”
Demian muttered to himself, gazing up at the sky.
He had never considered it before. The idea of getting married and starting a family was foreign to him.
“I have no intention of marrying. Besides…”
He quickly reached a conclusion.
“Someone like me, a murderer, doesn’t deserve that.”
In his past life, Demian had been a Death Knight, responsible for countless massacres.
He had turned sons, brothers, husbands, wives, and parents into corpses.
It wasn’t by choice. It was under the control of Dorgo.
But the fact remained that he had killed them.
“Even contemplating such things is a luxury for me.”
Demian had too many tasks at hand to worry about marriage.
“I need to tear that bastard Dorgo apart.”
His face twisted with a ghostly rage, teeth grinding with rising fury.
“This time, I won’t let him die easily.”
By killing Dorgo, he would complete his revenge and atone, even slightly, for the sins of his past life.
Demian sharpened his resolve once more.
With a goal set, it was time to act. He stood up to begin his training.
He opened a spatial pocket and retrieved the Berserk Light Elixir.
The elixir allowed him to accumulate mana while moving and also enhanced muscle strength.
Its only drawback was the limited amount of mana it could absorb. Demian planned to overcome this with the Power Accumulation Technique.
“Combining the two mana techniques should create something impressive.”
To reach the level of a master, Demian needed to perfect a unique mana technique.
Mana techniques were the core of a knight’s power.
Without a proper technique, advancing to higher levels was impossible.
“Right, I almost forgot.”
He also took out the Heart of the Spirit from the spatial pocket.
To absorb it, he needed to consistently infuse it with mana until it melted.
Demian decided to carry it with him and infuse it with mana from today onward.
“Time to get moving again.”
He drew his Celestial Sword and began to wield it while channeling the Berserk Light Elixir.
In no time, Demian was fully immersed in his training.
Demian’s training lasted until evening.
Just as he was about to put the Celestial Sword back into the spatial pocket and head home, he heard a voice.
“Master! Master!”
Victor came running, breathless. Demian asked with a puzzled look.
“What’s going on?”
“A guest from the Order has arrived!”
Demian’s expression turned curious at Victor’s words.
“From the Order?”
“Yes, yes! The Holy Knight who helped us in Landwalk City has come personally!”
Agnes, the disciple of the Blue Flame.
Hearing that she had arrived, Demian put the Celestial Sword away.
He returned to the mansion with Victor.
In front of the mansion stood Agnes, but her demeanor was different from usual.
“Demian, I apologize for the sudden visit.”
Her voice was somber and dark.
“I’ve come to ask a difficult favor.”
“A favor?”
“The Dungeon of Necromancy has been located.”
Demian’s eyes widened at her words.
“Please lend us your strength to vanquish the evil.”