Chapter 118: Chapter 120

I asked, “Is the family head at the main house?”

“That’s right.”

“And he called for me...”

“That’s right.”

“Hmm...”

This was a problem.

Not that the family head had summoned me—the problem was something else.

“Can’t I see him after the camp has ended? The special test isn’t over yet.”

“Another collector is speaking with the instructors. You will not be disadvantaged because of this.”

“Ah.”

I couldn’t complain if they were doing all that.

I nodded.

“Why has the family head summoned me?”

“Of course, to reward you for your accomplishments, Young Master.”

“...”

Jein gave a faint smile.

“He seemed quite delighted. I haven’t served the family head for long, but even so, I have never seen him like that before. I believe you can look forward to it.”

***

I left the forest with Jein.

Honestly, I wanted to at least check whether Charon and Hector were doing their job well, but I didn’t get the opportunity to do so.

I glanced back as I said, “We just passed through Sir Asad’s barrier.”

“This was permitted by him as well.”

With that, I returned to the main house for the first time in a while.

Since I had spent over 100 days on Spirit Mountain, I had been away from the house for a considerable amount of time.

Though nothing about the place felt different to me.

“Is he on the fifth floor?”

“No, the family head is in the annex building.”

“Where’s the annex?”

“I’ll lead the way.”

“Sure. We can go now, right?”

When I said that, Jein responded, his tone worried, “I feel that maybe we should clean you up first.”

“Ah.”

Only now did I notice how dirty I was from rolling around the Forest of the Butterfly for the last three days.

Although the Lord of Blood and Iron didn’t much care about things like this, it was only right that I try to look my best before meeting him face-to-face.

I cleaned myself up and donned the clothes Jein prepared.

“This is uncomfortable.”

“They fit you well.”

It was killing me, wearing something formal like this after only wearing loose and comfortable training wear for so long.

“Should I help style your hair?”

“Thanks for the offer, but no.”

After refusing Jein’s offer to touch up and style my hair with perfume and such, I was guided by him to the annex.

However, this annex, within which was the Lord of Blood and Iron, was completely different from what I had anticipated.

It was beyond the back garden of the main house.

This was the forbidden area that I had entered in secret with Sellen. So... the Lord of Blood and Iron was waiting for me here?

“...”

For some reason, my fight with Hariba felt like it had been a lifetime ago.

I mean, I guess it had been a long time considering the time I’d spent on Spirit Mountain?

“Young Master?”

“I’m coming.”

I followed after Jein through the messy back garden.

Because I had just come from the Forest of the Butterfly, it was apparent that this area was much darker and more tightly packed than the forest’s interior had been.

Honestly, since there wasn’t anyone else here and there was no proper path, this place could hardly be called a location.

After walking through the forest a little longer, a building appeared.

“I will wait here.”

While looking forward, I asked, “Is the family head inside?”

“Yes.”

Considering that the Lord of Blood and Iron was within, the building itself looked rather worn down.

Speaking plainly, it looked more like a large shack. This was a house that would be used not by nobles but by hunters.

Even as I felt a little taken aback, I approached the shack and opened the door.

Clack.

Ugh...

Immediately, I scrunched my nose at the piercing smell of blood.

The memory of the tragedy I’d seen in the forest whipped through my mind in a split second.

An ominous feeling, a small shack, and the girl lying in a pool of her own blood...

“You’re here.”

Unlike back then, I was welcomed by a voice, not a corpse.

I hadn’t known that the Lord of Blood and Iron could speak in such a tone.

It was... kind, and benevolent.

“Family Head?”

I couldn’t see properly because the interior was dark.

I was considering using fire eyes, but then...

Fwoosh.

A lamp hanging on the wall was lit, illuminating the room.

And I was left speechless by the very first thing I noticed.

There was a long metal table in the center of the room, upon which sat all sorts of terrifying tools.

I recognized them as tools specifically made for torture. I also noticed that the blood on them was fresh.

There was also a chair.

It seemed like a binding chair, and someone was sitting in it while bound up in chains, their face covered with a leather bag.

It looks like he’s alive.

The body looked like a man’s, but there was no movement—he seemed to be unconscious.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“Did you not hear from Jein?”

“No.”

“Hm.”

The Lord of Blood and Iron removed the bag from the man’s head.

“H-huak, h-hiek... hiek... hek!”

“...”

The man gasped for breath as if he was choking.

It was a familiar face.

I spoke the man’s name in a low tone.

“...Instructor Einsburn.”

“Instructor... that profession was not a lie, though his true identity is that of a cultist,” said the Lord of Blood and Iron, a smile in his voice as he looked down at Einsburn. “Ah, were you the origin of that information, Luan?”

The Instructor of Law, Einsburn.

This man had once had the appearance of a noble scholar, but I could see not an ounce of the grace and wisdom he’d once possessed.

He had aged a few decades since I had last seen him and was even worse for wear.

“N-n-no...!” Einsburn said with tears in his voice. “I-I-I’m not a cultist...! Family Head...! Please believe me...! I-I was just threatened by them, so—”

“Shush.” The Lord of Blood and Iron put his index finger on Einsburn’s lips. “...Circumstances. That is always the problem, Instructor. Is there anyone in this world who devoted themselves to the cult without a reason?”

“F-F-Family Head...!”

“Use that smart brain of yours to think. Aren’t you the genius who graduated as valedictorian from the Imperial Academy?”

As if toying with him, the Lord of Blood and Iron tapped Einsburn’s forehead with his finger.

Tap, tap.

Einsburn flinched every time the finger touched his forehead.

“To be honest, I don’t particularly care that you had no choice because of your circumstances. Right now, I am just happy.”

“P-p-pardon?”

“Those cultists who always avoided me were actually growing deep within my own house. I at least want an answer to this: Those disgusting rat bastards, have they finally gained the courage to face me directly?”

“I-I-I... don’t know anything about the cultists’ situa—”

The Lord of Blood and Iron used what looked like a skewer to stab Einsburn’s ankle.

Stab.

“Kuaaaaah!”

“Your voice still works. One of my lacking talents is that I can estimate my target’s remaining vigor by their screams.”

“H-heuk, h-hiek...!”

“Calm down. You can live for at least three more days. Ah, of course, for you, those three days will be an eternity, Instructor...”

“F-F-Family Head...! I-I was wrong...! I was wrong...! I’ll tell you everything! I was wrong! So please... please... forgive me this once...! Please save—”

The Lord of Blood and Iron placed the bag back over Einsburn’s head.

When he did, Einsburn’s voice stopped immediately and his movements ceased.

He wasn’t dead; it seemed to be a magic item that made someone fall unconscious?

“...You were in the middle of an interrogation.”

“In a sense.”

“Do you still do these things personally? Why not task one of your subordinates with this?”

“That’s a stupid question. None within this house can interrogate as precisely as I can.”

...The Blessing of Truth.

With that ability, his interrogating skills must be greater than even Juniang’s.

“Do you want to sit down? It’s a bit dirty.”

He wore an uncharacteristically bright smile.

* * * * *

* * * * *

Honestly, it felt like this was the first time I’d ever seen him act in a way that genuinely matched his appearance.

Just what was the cult to the Lord of Blood and Iron... and what had the cult done to him?

I suppressed these questions and sat on the worn-down chair the Lord of Blood and Iron had pointed to.

He walked over the creaking wooden boards before straightening out his clothes in a nearby dusty mirror.

The Lord of Blood and Iron took off his bloodied gloves and spoke while wiping blood off his face.

“Luan.”

“Yes.”

“You have done very well.”

“...”

Was it possible for praise to be scarier than that?

The Lord of Blood and Iron was probably the only father who could say something like that while wiping blood off of his face.

I was a little dumbfounded as I replied, “Thank you.”

“It is a great achievement to kill a high priest at the age of fifteen. Honestly, ‘an achievement’ isn’t enough to describe what you have accomplished.”

“...”

“If this is made known, everyone in The Empire will know your name. The Great Houses, yes, but also the imperial house, the nobles of the Imperial City, Heroes, the mercenary industry, the wizard groups, and even religious organizations... they will all know your name.”

“Please suppress it.”

The Lord of Blood and Iron turned his head at my reply.

There was still some blood left on his face.

“You want me to suppress it?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Fame is a double-edged sword, and I am not yet ready to handle something like that.”

“Are you worried that annoying flies will flock to you? With the Bednicker name, you shouldn’t have to worry about such a thing.”

“That name won’t be able to stop the cult.”

The Lord of Blood and Iron fell silent.

“How did the cult become the greatest enemy of The Empire? Was it because their ideas were dangerous? Because they possessed immense power? I don’t think either is correct.”

“...”

“The cultists hide perfectly in their day-to-day lives and only reveal themselves at the perfect moment. And every time they do, blood is spilled within The Empire.”

“Their covertness.” The Lord of Blood and Iron nodded. “A hidden blade is the deadliest.”

“Of course, I don’t want to waste this accomplishment. It’ll be useful to me at some point in the future. So please make it so that the information doesn’t leak until then.”

“So you’re saying that now isn’t the time?”

“Yes.”

The Lord of Blood and Iron nodded.

“I will respect your wishes.”

“...”

“However, within Bednicker at least, none will be able to ignore your name.”

“By that, you mean...”

“Starting today, you are the deputy family head.”

I looked at the Lord of Blood and Iron, filled with sheer surprise.

“Depending on your decisions, you may command up to thirty knights of the main house, and not even the Council of Elders will be able to oppress you without a suitable reason. If you require funds for personal reasons, you may ask the treasury... and you may use the Small Iron Hall, east of the main building, as your own.”

“Uh...”

“Butlers, maids, and other such servants will be sent to you at the earliest opportunity, and you shall have final say over who may serve you. It is important to become proficient at discerning people.”

The Small Iron Hall was an empty building.

That was natural. The position of deputy family head had been vacant this entire time.

“If you ever need to speak to me, go and tell Asad at any time. Even if I am unable to immediately reply, I will respond to you within a week.”

I had even received the right to talk to him privately whenever I wanted.

“...I don’t intend to become the family head.”

Even though I had just been given everything the Luan of the past had desired, I couldn’t help but voice my disinterest.

However, the Lord of Blood and Iron replied as if he had expected that response: “Being the deputy family head doesn’t mean you will become the family head in the end. What I wish to give you is authority within the house, and the process will be tedious if I try to grant you everything individually.”

“Still, this is too much.”

“It is not too much at all. Rather, this is lacking compared to the accomplishment you have wrought.”

Since he was a man who handed out clear rewards and punishments, what he’d just said was probably true.

Everything had ended so quickly that I still couldn’t believe it—but I was now realizing exactly what kind of feat it was to defeat a high priest of the Church of Darkness.

“So I will ask you here and now: Do you want anything else? I will give you anything within my power.”

What I wanted...

I spoke.

“Family Head.”

“Speak.”

“I am still weak.”

He furrowed his brow at my words.

“Are you being humble?”

“No.”

“You killed a high priest singlehandedly and survived a direct confrontation with a demon lord, but you are still weak...” the Lord of Blood and Iron mumbled, but then he nodded. “That makes sense if your sight is set much higher. I am curious, What is the level of strength you desire?”

“I want to be at least strong enough to fight a demon lord with my fists,” I said. “As you know, I encountered a demon lord in Hell... but I didn’t survive because I was strong. The monster encountered a completely unexpected situation, and so I barely retained my life.”

“...”

“Something like that, I never want to experience it again.”

At this, the Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me and said, “‘Demon lord’... although many religious individuals in The Empire call them that, they are not too different from the gods.”

I knew that as well.

I had realized it upon first meeting them.

There was Eldest Senior Brother, of course, but even that Tangtata was a monster beyond my comprehension.

“What you’re saying is... you desire to be able to fight a god with your fists.”

“Is that impossible?”

He fell silent.

He seemed to be organizing his thoughts, but I sensed a bit of hesitation in him as well.

What could make this man hesitate?

“Luan, I have contemplated and fought that question my entire life. I have thought deeply about it and sought answers to it, and in the end, I did find an answer.” He then said something that completely shocked me: “To fight a god, you must first become a god yourself.”

“...Pardon?”

“ I could become a god right now if I so desired.”

“...”

If someone else had said that, I would’ve dismissed it as a joke or the ramblings of a madman.

But because it was the Lord of Blood and Iron, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow a little.

“I don’t understand what you...”

“You, having killed a high priest, have the right to know the truth, so I will tell you. The gods who grant us their blessings are not omnipotent beings. Most of the gods who exist on this continent were mortals who became gods after their death.”

I looked at the Lord of Blood and Iron in a complete state of shock.

I felt as if I had been shown a secret of this world that I could never have learned through normal methods.

In a calm voice, the Lord of Blood and Iron continued, “However, even the divine have their ranks and classes. And those demon lords... the ones called the gods of disaster, are quite strong even among gods. In the past, they weren’t able to rampage like this because there existed a powerful and good god strong enough to keep them at bay.”

A cold flame ignited in his purple eyes.

“That place is my goal, and it is the only divine name that has remained empty for thousands of years.”

I asked as if possessed, “What is that divine name?”

“In ancient texts, that god is given many names. Though sometimes called the Military God, the Combat God, or the Battle God, there is one name that represented them the most: the God of Martial Arts. To put it simply—”

I instinctively realized what the Lord of Blood and Iron was about to say.

“—The Martial God.”

A stillness settled over the shack.