I could not believe my ears.
To receive a gift containing precisely the function I needed, just as I had begun wondering where I could find such an item…?
While I stood there blankly, stunned by my unexpected good fortune, the Marquis glanced at me and spoke cautiously.
“Ahem! Even if the function does not seem particularly useful, do not be too disappointed.”
It might not help me immediately, but once I became capable of using Aura in the future, it would prove quite useful―
That was the Marquis’s additional explanation.
“…What?”
When I came to my senses and looked at him, his face openly displayed his concern that I might dislike the present.
“No! Father, I love it!”
“Do you? …Then that is all that matters.”
Despite his curt response, the Marquis appeared exceedingly pleased.
He instructed me to wear the bracelet at all times, since there was no telling when I might encounter danger. He also warned me to keep its exact capabilities strictly confidential.
“Haver, the same applies to you.”
“Yes, my lord! Understood.”
Having said that, the Marquis leisurely departed from the training ground.
* * *
A large room stood at the center of the third-floor corridor in the lord’s castle.
Although it was still bright outside, dull gray curtains covered the windows, leaving the room dark and gloomy.
It was Marquis Verdin’s office.
Creaking old furniture.
A broken music box that no longer played.
Even a faded family portrait.
Nothing in the room had changed since a certain incident ‘ten years ago.’
‘Hehe… The more I see him, the prouder he makes me.’
Pervan recalled what had happened in the training ground earlier.
His youngest son had clearly disliked the gift, yet the moment he saw Pervan’s expression, he had immediately smiled brightly.
Pervan had two other sons according to the family register, but ‘Evan’ was the only one he could consider his true son.
The boy who had appeared before him like a miracle was gradually adding various colors to his otherwise dry and colorless life.
A warm smile unknowingly appeared on Pervan’s face.
However, the moment Evan’s birth reminded him of ‘them,’ his gaze changed completely.
‘Judging by their lack of response thus far, it is probably safe to assume that they truly know nothing.’
Ever since formally accepting Evan into the family, Pervan had constantly feared that ‘they’ might discover the boy’s identity.
Now that several months had passed, however, he felt that he could finally relax a little.
‘They’ must have accepted the false report he submitted as the truth without question.
‘…Even so, I cannot let my guard down.’
Following the explosion that occurred when Evan awakened, Pervan had gone so far as to recommend that the entire project be abandoned.
But he had yet to receive a response.
‘Surely… after failing hundreds of times over the past ten years, they have not continued to cling to it?’
It was entirely possible.
As one of ‘them,’ Pervan understood their obsession and madness better than anyone.
For that reason, Pervan intended to keep Evan thoroughly concealed within the Marquisate until the boy became complete.
And once Evan’s growth was finished and he possessed the full power of ‘that’?
GRIN.
‘That will be the moment when I finally achieve the long-cherished wish I have awaited.’
A somewhat chilling smile formed on Pervan’s lips.
Hoping that day would arrive soon, he resumed preparing for the subjugation campaign that would begin in several days.
Monsters were naturally an important concern during this campaign.
However, Pervan had something even more important to accomplish.
* * *
The Behamag Mountains.
It was a vast mountain range bordering the western frontier of the Asron Empire.
Its terrain was so treacherous and the monsters inhabiting it so numerous that no one dared attempt to cross the remote wilderness.
Why were there so many monsters here?
No one knew the cause.
The Asron Empire and the kingdoms bordering the opposite side of the Behamag Mountains had dispatched investigation teams on numerous occasions.
However, they had suffered tremendous losses each time and failed to reach the depths of the range.
Even if no one else in the world knew the answer, I did.
The mana concentration had risen because of the influence of ‘that’ which slumbered beneath this place, drawing countless monsters to the mountains.
I also knew that ‘it’ would awaken exactly five years from now and cause an enormous disaster.
SWISH.
As I rode my horse, I looked around at the Knights and soldiers of the Marquisate surrounding me.
‘Unless they become strong enough by then, the Marquisate will have no future.’
In the history I remembered, the Verdin Marquisate had failed to withstand the disaster and was destroyed.
‘This time must be different. No matter what……!’
I intended to use every method available to strengthen the Marquisate.
That way, even five years from now, the Verdin Marquisate would not fall and could continue to serve as my strength.
There was, however, one thing that concerned me.
‘The Butterfly Effect…….’
It was the theory that the tiny fluttering of a butterfly’s wings could eventually return as an uncontrollable storm.
Truthfully, I was worried because I had no idea how changing the past would affect the future.
But allowing a predetermined tragedy to unfold because of that fear would be idiotic.
While I was lost in thought, the subjugation force led by the Marquis arrived at the entrance to the Behamag Mountains.
Unknown ancient trees grew so densely that the interior appeared pitch-black even in broad daylight.
It was a sinister forest.
SHHHHHHH―
Even the wind blowing through it felt strangely chilling.
However, perhaps because this was a routine mission for them, the Marquis and his Knights did not appear particularly affected.
“Then we shall begin the subjugation according to the operation previously communicated!”
“Yes! First, Second, and Third Battalions, follow me!”
Knight Commander Haver rode forward, and a considerable portion of the troops followed him as the vanguard.
“Let us go as well.”
“Yes, Father.”
It was beginning.
Together with the Marquis, I entered as part of the main force.
We advanced into Behamag, one of the Three Great Forbidden Lands of the Asron Empire.
* * *
The subjugation force’s strategy was simple.
The vanguard led by Haver would engage and occupy the monsters, after which the approaching main force would launch a surprise attack and eliminate them.
“Kek! Kek! Humans!”
“Humans, kill!”
Following the path taken by the vanguard, we soon saw them fighting monsters in the distance.
Their opponents were a horde of goblins.
“What the f*ck? Those are supposed to be goblins?!”
“Hey, focus over there! We only have to hold out until the main force arrives!”
The new soldiers and mercenaries seeing the monsters of the Behamag Mountains for the first time were having an exceptionally difficult time.
Ordinary goblins had green skin and stood about as tall as a young child.
They moved in groups and were cunning for monsters, but they were not particularly difficult opponents.
The goblins here, however, were somewhat different.
First, their skin was black.
They were also at least one and a half times larger than ordinary goblins.
They had probably grown considerably stronger after inhabiting an area with such a high mana concentration for so long.
Their black coloration was another distinguishing characteristic of monsters from the Behamag Mountains, which had been affected by the local mana.
“The main force has arrived! Vanguard, fall back!”
SHING―
The Marquis had already drawn the longsword from his waist and was prepared to charge.
“Ahem! I will be back, Evan.”
“Yes. Please be careful, Father.”
“Very well… Watch carefully from here.”
After our brief exchange, the Marquis led the main force in a charge toward the goblin horde.
“Slaughter every last one! Leave none alive!”
“We obey our lord’s command!”
“Main force, follow the lord!”
RUMBLE, RUMBLE, RUMBLE―
The Knights and soldiers of the Fourth through Eighth Battalions advanced with terrifying momentum, making the earth tremble beneath them.
I watched the Marquis fight while remaining with the Ninth Battalion, which had been assigned to guard me, scout the area, and watch our surroundings.
HUM― HUM― HUM―
A vivid and powerful crimson Aura rose from the Marquis’s longsword, releasing an overwhelming energy.
“Haaaaap!”
SWISH―
He swung his sword while charging on horseback.
Twisting his waist and snapping it back, he swept the blade in a wide horizontal arc.
The crimson Aura surrounding the sword surged violently forward.
RUMBLE―!!!
“Kek?!”
“Keeeeek!”
The crimson Aura swallowed the goblin horde like a tidal wave consuming everything in its path.
HISSSSSS….
A massive scar had been carved into the ground where the Aura caused a mana explosion.
The goblins caught within it lay scattered across the battlefield, their arms, legs, and heads torn from their bodies.
“K-Kek?! S-Strong human!”
“F-Fight, die! Must run!”
The goblins instinctively recognized that their opponent was overwhelmingly powerful and immediately began fleeing in a panic.
The Marquis, however, had no intention of allowing them to escape alive.
“They are fleeing! Do not let them get away!”
SWOOOSH― BOOM, BOOM!
Every time the Marquis’s longsword traced a crimson line through the air, violent waves of Aura erupted like a storm.
Even amid the battle, he looked toward me in the distance and casually waved his hand.
“Hehehe! Watch carefully, Evan! Behold your father’s magnificent performance!”
Good grief, honestly….
He was an incurably doting father.
‘Urgh… Why am I the one who has to feel embarrassed?!’
Even so, the Marquis’s martial prowess was impressive.
He would have been considered quite powerful even when compared to martial artists from Murim.
His breathing remained perfectly steady despite swinging a sword from horseback.
Every movement followed a forceful and unwavering sword path.
The volume and density of the Aura he released were equally impressive.
Considering all of these factors, he could probably be regarded as a Peak Master who had reached a highly mature realm.
In Arvania, that level was known as an ‘Upper-Rank Expert.’
STAB!
“K-Kek… kek!”
At last, even the final goblin breathed its last.
Apart from the few that escaped, the black swarm had been completely slaughtered, their bodies covering the battlefield.
‘Should I make my move now?’
Money was lying all over the ground, yet none of them understood its value.
“Ugh! Uweeegh―!”
First, I pretended to gag several times while looking at the monster corpses.
That would appear more natural.
“…Are you all right?”
Before I knew it, the Marquis had approached and casually asked the question.
He tried not to show it, but his gaze was filled with concern.
“Haa… Haa… I am… fine.”
Once I had acted for an appropriate amount of time, I immediately moved to the main point.
“In truth… I saw monster corpses several times while living outside the castle.”
“What…?”
“We needed to find anything we could in order to survive….”
“Wh-What do you mean by that?!”
Startled, the Marquis’s voice rose slightly.
He then spoke in a deliberately grave tone.
“Monster corpses contain contaminated mana. Forget eating them—they should be useless for every purpose…?”
What he said was true.
The corpses could be refined through purification magic, but the process was so expensive that it was not financially worthwhile for low-grade monsters such as goblins.
At the very least, the corpse would have to belong to something as valuable as an ogre before the cost became reasonable.
“That is correct. People who lacked such knowledge sometimes skinned unpurified monsters and made clothes from their hides, only to develop skin diseases. Others unknowingly ate their flesh, became ill, and died.”
“…I see.”
The Marquis nodded with a troubled expression.
However, I had not mentioned this merely to gain his shallow sympathy.
“But they eventually discovered a way to purify the corpses.”
“Wh-What did you say?!”
MURMUR―
Not only the Marquis but also the surrounding Knights erupted into commotion at my words.
“C-Can monster corpses truly be purified without purification magic?”
“Come now, that is impossible… If such a method existed, there is no way it would remain unknown.”
Most of them clearly did not believe me.
‘That is understandable. It is certainly an unknown method at this point in time.’
Under the original course of history, it would only be discovered five years later, after the ‘disaster’ erupted from the Behamag Mountains.
But it was true that the people of the ruined Verdin Marquisate had discovered it while desperately searching for a way to survive.
“…Evan, is what you said true?”
The Marquis appeared deeply confused.
Unlike the other Knights, however, he did not dismiss my claim as complete nonsense.
A trace of interest and curiosity was visible in his eyes.
I nodded slightly.
Then I gave him a confident grin.
“Yes. You can do it by using an herb called ‘Clove.’”