Having reached the investigation team, there was no longer any reason for Damian Haxen to stay.
Damian informed Agnes of his intention to return to his family.
“You’re leaving already?” Agnes asked, a hint of disappointment in her voice.
“We’re preparing a banquet to celebrate the victory. It would mean a lot if you could stay until then…”
“I left without my father’s permission. I need to return as soon as possible,” Damian replied.
Agnes sighed softly. “Then please let me know when you visit the Order. I’d like to personally show you around.”
Thanks to his recent achievements, Damian had earned the opportunity to enter the Order’s archives. Agnes seemed eager to be his guide.
“Alright,” Damian agreed.
“You must promise me,” Agnes insisted, gripping his hand tightly. The pressure was such that Damian had no choice but to agree repeatedly.
“Sir Damian! It was a short time, but thank you so much!” Dionysio exclaimed as he approached, his eyes shining with admiration.
“I’ll never forget how incredible you were!”
“Weren’t you the one who said you’d never forgive me?” Damian teased.
“Th-that was… I didn’t know any better back then…” Dionysio scratched the back of his head sheepishly, prompting a chuckle from Damian.
“Keep at it. You’ve got potential,” Damian said, patting Dionysio on the shoulder. Dionysio’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Really? You mean it?”
“Of course. I have a good eye for talent.”
It wasn’t just flattery; Damian genuinely believed in Dionysio’s potential. He had the makings of a first-class knight.
And it wasn’t just Dionysio. Margata and Gamal were also rare talents. It was no wonder the Order had faltered in the past due to the annihilation of the subjugation team.
“I’ll do my best!” Dionysio declared loudly, encouraged by Damian’s words.
“Hey, how long are you going to keep talking? Come on out already,” Margata interrupted, pushing Dionysio aside. Dionysio yelped as he was shoved away.
“Damian, thank you so much. If it weren’t for you, I would’ve been done for,” Margata said earnestly.
“It would’ve been worse. Without Sir Damian, we’d all be turned into those corpse puppets,” Gamal added, earning a glare from Margata.
“Your way with words… but you’re right. That’s exactly what would’ve happened,” Margata agreed with a wry smile.
“We almost became flesh golems, forced to kill our own brothers. Thank you for stopping that,” Margata said, gripping Damian’s hand tightly.
“I’ll send you an invitation later, so please come.”
“An invitation?” Damian asked, puzzled. Margata leaned against Gamal’s shoulder and explained.
“Gamal proposed to me. We might be sending out wedding invitations soon.”
Even Damian was taken aback.
“Sir Gamal proposed?”
“Did he really?” Agnes and Dionysio, hearing this for the first time, looked equally shocked.
“Oh, you two didn’t know? We’ve been dating for a while. We weren’t planning on marriage, but this guy suddenly proposed,” Margata said, teasingly.
“Margata, don’t go into too much detail,” Gamal protested, his face turning crimson. But Margata wasn’t one to be easily silenced.
“I almost died this time, you know? It made him realize how unpredictable life is. He wants to make the most of it,” Margata laughed heartily, while Gamal’s face grew even redder.
“Anyway, I hope you can come,” Margata said, wiping away tears of laughter.
Damian left the subjugation team and returned to his estate.
Initially, he was eager to see his family again. But as he got closer, a sense of unease grew.
“No matter how I think about it, Father probably hasn’t cooled down yet.”
Knowing his father’s stubbornness, it was likely he was still angry.
Damian decided against entering the mansion through the front. Instead, he moved stealthily towards the backyard.
“Ha! Hup!” In the backyard, Victor was practicing his swordsmanship. Damian appeared suddenly in front of him.
“Hey, how’ve you been?”
“Huh? An intruder—no, it’s the young master?” Victor exclaimed, startled, as he looked Damian over.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Did you get cursed by a dark mage? No, wait! How could you leave me behind like that?”
Victor’s voice rose in anger as soon as he saw Damian.
“Do you know how much trouble I got into with the lord because of you?”
“Was he really that mad?”
“He was furious! He almost kicked me out for not stopping you!”
As Damian had suspected, his father was indeed very angry.
“Has he calmed down now?”
“Not at all! He’s waiting to give you a piece of his mind when you return!”
“Hmm,” Damian mused, stroking his chin. It seemed he couldn’t resolve this on his own.
He needed a third party’s help—perhaps his mother or sister…
“By the way, Madam and Miss Louise are just as angry. They said you went to a dangerous place without consulting them.”
Damian had hoped to rely on his mother and sister, but that option was now closed.
“Looks like I’ll have to wait until things cool down before coming back.”
“Where are you planning to go now?” Victor asked, alarmed, grabbing Damian’s arm.
“If I lose track of you again, I might really get kicked out! I won’t let you go until I’m dead!”
They say necessity makes people strong. Victor’s determination was evident in his firm grip.
“But I have things to do,” Damian said.
“Things to do?”
Damian waved a map he had obtained from the necromancer’s lab.
“A treasure hunt.”
Victor frowned at the words.
“Don’t try to brush it off with nonsense! You’re not going anywhere!”
“Alright, alright, I get it. Here, take this,” Damian said, opening a pocket dimension to retrieve a pouch. Victor took it, confused.
“What’s this?”
“See for yourself.”
When Victor opened the pouch, he was greeted by the sight of gleaming gold coins.
“Wha—what is this, young master?”
“Compensation.”
“What?”
“Please put in a good word for me with Father.”
Damian slipped his hand free from Victor’s grip and quickly made his escape.
“Young master! Young master!” Victor called out desperately, but Damian was already gone.
It was when Damian was far from the mansion that he heard it.
“Damian! You wretched boy! Get back here this instant!”
His father’s voice boomed from the direction of the mansion.
“He’s still got plenty of energy for his age,” Damian mused.
He briefly considered sending his father some tonic, but it seemed unnecessary.
“I’d better stay away for a while.”
By the time Damian returned from raiding Yuran’s hideout, news of the subjugation team’s exploits would have spread.
Of course, the full truth wouldn’t be revealed, as it would tarnish the Order’s reputation.
But people would learn that Damian Haxen was a formidable force and had played a crucial role in dealing with the necromancer.
Once his father heard that, he would realize Damian hadn’t acted recklessly, and his anger would likely subside.
”…It should, right?”
Shaking off his lingering doubts, Damian set off for the city of Landwalk.
Yuran’s hideout was in the Longuist Mountains, a distant location that required some preparation.
Damian procured a sturdy horse, a bedroll, flint, and provisions for the journey.
“Why does it have to be in the Longuist Mountains?” he grumbled from atop his horse.
The Longuist Mountains were known for their treacherous terrain, though not for dangerous creatures.
This made it a haven for criminals and bandits.
“I’ll need to find a guide first.”
The mountains’ complex geography made it easy to get lost without a guide.
A guide was essential to reach the hideout.
“This is going to be a real headache.”
The thought of navigating such a complicated area made his head throb.
But Yuran’s hideout was worth the trouble.
Yuran was a well-known group of dark mages. While not large, their individual skills were exceptional, ensuring a steady stream of clients.
Their hideout was likely filled with wealth and treasures.
Moreover, Yuran had been taking direct orders from Dorgo.
There was a chance Damian could find a clue to track Dorgo.
With that in mind, Damian arrived at the Longuist Mountains.
He first headed to Olden Village, located at the base of the mountains.
Travelers aiming to cross the Longuist Mountains all gathered in the village of Olden to find companions for their journey.
“Right, I need to keep my identity under wraps.”
Damian had become quite famous. Once the rumors from the dungeon spread, his fame would only grow. If word got out that someone like him was scouring the Longuist Mountains, it would surely attract unwanted attention.
Besides, since he was searching for a hidden lair of a dark sorcerer, it was best to remain incognito.
Damian pulled out a black cloth and covered the lower half of his face. He stowed away his holy sword and celestial blade in a pocket dimension, opting instead for an ordinary iron sword.
With his disguise complete, he headed to the mercenary hiring hall in Olden.
The hall, a converted tavern, was quite large. Inside, the clamor of mercenaries enjoying their drinks and meals filled the air.
As soon as Damian entered, all eyes turned to him, a mix of curiosity and wariness in their gaze.
“I’m looking for a guide who knows the Longuist Mountains well,” Damian said to a man behind the bar, polishing a glass.
The man, perhaps a retired mercenary, was missing an ear and his face was scarred.
He glanced at Damian and replied gruffly, “If you’re thinking of crossing the mountains, you’d be better off hiring traders.”
“I’m not crossing them. I need to find something within.”
“You want to search that dangerous place? You must be out of your mind.”
The Longuist Mountains were a haven for criminals and bandits. The paths traders used to cross were relatively safe, but beyond that, safety was not guaranteed.
“Sorry, but no guide in their right mind would take that job.”
Damian pulled out a pouch and emptied it onto the table, gold coins spilling out in a gleaming pile.
“I have plenty of money. I just need a skilled guide.”
Even with the gold on display, no mercenary stepped forward. The danger of the Longuist Mountains was one reason, but the scarcity of skilled guides was another.
“Is there really no one?”
Just as Damian was about to put the coins back, someone approached him.
“Did you say you’re looking for a guide to wander the Longuist Mountains?”
Damian looked up, and his mind went blank with shock.
The man was somewhere between young and middle-aged, slightly below average height, and had a stocky build unusual for a mercenary.
Juan David.
The former mercenary captain Damian had hired in a past life stood before him.