Chapter 264: Chapter 264

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]

Chapter 264

‘To push my brother to such an extent…’

If Karvan were asked to name the scariest person in the empire, he would undoubtedly choose his brother, Laos.

The Emperor was intimidating in his own way, but he had always been indifferent toward Karvan.

Laos, on the other hand, had always regarded Karvan as a thorn in his side, seizing every opportunity to torment him, no matter how small the pretext.

Even his recent journey to the village of Bern was entirely because of Laos.

"Karvan, visit the temple in Bern. If you succeed and return, I will acknowledge you as my brother."

For the first time, his brother had issued him a direct command.

If Karvan could complete the task successfully, Laos promised to recognize him as his sibling and no longer torment him.

Despite the promise, young Karvan didn’t believe a word of it.

He fully expected Laos to have laid a trap for him.

However, refusal wasn’t an option—Laos would have killed him on the spot.

When Karvan initially resisted, the torment escalated to a different level.

From that day on, his food was poisoned, his clothes were treated with chemicals that ruined his skin, and countless other acts of malice followed.

Ultimately, Karvan was left with no choice but to leave for Bern.

It was there that he was pushed to the brink of death.

‘He truly intended to kill me.’

Karvan realized this during the experiments he endured.

As he suspected, Laos never had any intention of acknowledging him as his brother.

And yet, when Karvan departed for Bern, a sliver of hope had lingered in his heart.

“Let’s wrap this up and return,” Jeong-hoon said with a casual smile after effortlessly subduing Laos.

“Ah… Yes…”

Karvan could only nod in agreement.

However, as they made their way back to the annex, Karvan suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“What’s the matter?” Jeong-hoon tilted his head in curiosity.

“Why… Why are those men following us?”

Karvan pointed at the two knights trailing behind them.

Those knights were part of Laos’s personal guard. Their presence puzzled Karvan—why would they be following him instead of staying with Laos?

“I cast a spell on them,” Jeong-hoon explained.

“A spell?”

“Yes. I’ve brainwashed them to protect the Third Prince instead of the Crown Prince.”

“Is… Is that even possible?”

“You’re seeing it with your own eyes, aren’t you?”

What kind of person is he?

Karvan’s curiosity deepened, but he decided not to ask further.

Even if he did, he doubted Jeong-hoon would answer.

***

“Arghhh! You wretched bastard!”

Crash!

Laos screamed in rage, trashing his room in a fit of fury.

“……”

The servant, who had been quietly cleaning, slipped out of the room without making a sound.

Yesterday, another servant had been thrown into the underground dungeon for what Laos deemed poor cleaning standards.

Once outside, the servant struggled to suppress their trembling.

Left alone, Laos sat on the edge of his bed, pounding his fist repeatedly, unable to quell his rage.

“What’s happening? Damn it, why is there no strength in my body?!”

Since that strange man had latched onto him, he felt his strength being drained.

At first, he thought it was a temporary condition.

However, even after a day had passed, his strength did not return.

It felt as though every ounce of power, starting with his physical strength, had reverted to that of a child.

‘It’s definitely that bastard’s doing.’

There was no other explanation for this strange phenomenon.

Surely, he must still be with Karvan.

With that thought, Laos made his way to the training grounds, where the knights were practicing.

***

Jeong-hoon’s claim turned out to be true.

Days passed, and Laos no longer came to torment Karvan.

Even the knights who were supposed to serve Laos remained by the side of the Third Prince, Karvan Rude Hixmion, stationed at the annex.

Whenever Karvan went for a walk to get some fresh air, the knights would quietly follow behind him.

This constant presence made Karvan feel incredibly uncomfortable.

“Your Highness, would you prefer if we walked a bit farther behind?” one of the knights asked cautiously, seemingly aware of his discomfort.

“No… it’s not that…”

“Oh, Your Highness, please speak informally to us. We are merely your swords, here to protect you.”

“Indeed. If you spoke formally to us, we’d feel more uncomfortable.”

No, that’s not the point—you’re supposed to be Laos’s men!

Karvan bit his tongue, holding back the words he wanted to say.

After finishing his walk, Karvan returned to the annex, only to run into Jeong-hoon.

The man had remained at the annex for the past few days.

"I’ll be staying here for a little while," he had said.

Karvan thought that the peace he was currently enjoying was all thanks to his benefactor.

Approaching Jeong-hoon, Karvan bowed deeply at a 90-degree angle.

“I’m sorry for making you stay in such a humble place.”

“It’s fine. It’s quiet and pleasant here.”

The annex, located far from the main palace, was indeed peaceful and an ideal place for rest.

However, that tranquility was shattered in an instant.

“His Highness, Crown Prince Laos, is here!”

The announcement of Laos’s visit drained the color from Karvan’s face.

He’s back?

“As expected, I didn’t think he’d stay quiet,” Jeong-hoon said with a knowing smile.

“Could it be… he’s here to kill me this time?” Karvan asked nervously.

"Go back to your room and live quietly. If you don’t, I’ll kill you."

However, Jeong-hoon shook his head.

“If that happens, it’ll only cause trouble for me.”

Killing the Crown Prince of the Hixmion Empire?

That would turn the episode quest into a disaster, branding him a traitor and making progress nearly impossible.

Laos Rude Hixmion’s death wasn’t slated to occur until the latter part of the episode.

For now, Jeong-hoon’s priority was protecting Karvan.

“That’s a relief…”

Karvan truly didn’t want to see his benefactor in trouble because of him.

But what to do about Laos, who was already here?

Tension stiffened his entire body.

Noticing this, Jeong-hoon patted Karvan’s shoulder with a reassuring smile.

“Of course, I said I wouldn’t kill him.”

“Th-then… is there a way?”

“Yes. We just need to drive him away, don’t we?”

The answer was simple and direct.

“…I understand.”

Bolstered by those words, Karvan headed to the annex entrance to face Laos.

Waiting at the entrance were Laos and his fifty knights.

“So you were here after all.”

But Laos’s gaze wasn’t fixed on Karvan—it was locked on Jeong-hoon.

Since his abilities had been completely drained, Laos’s physical condition had regressed to that of an untrained adult.

“I warned you, didn’t I? To stay out of my way.”

Jeong-hoon ran his hand through his hair and stepped toward Laos.

Laos flinched, then quickly ducked behind his knights.

“C-capture him!”

“Your Highness?”

“Your Highness… what’s going on?”

The knights were baffled.

The hot-tempered Crown Prince, who would normally draw his sword without hesitation, was cowering in fear.

Yet, his command had been given, and the knights unsheathed their swords.

[Activating Mind Control.]

Jeong-hoon cast his ability on the approaching knights.

In an instant, their relatively low stats rendered them susceptible, and their eyes turned vacant.

“You are now to protect the Third Prince, Karvan Rude Hixmion,” Jeong-hoon ordered.

The knights nodded obediently.

“Now step aside.”

At Jeong-hoon’s next command, the knights parted, revealing Laos Rude Hixmion trembling behind them.

“W-what’s going on?! I told you to capture him!”

With his stats drained, even his intelligence had plummeted.

If he had retained a shred of wit, he wouldn’t have been acting so foolishly.

Jeong-hoon advanced toward Laos, employing the graceful movements of the Heavenly Demon Lord’s Steps.

In the blink of an eye, Jeong-hoon reached Laos, who immediately gasped for breath. His body trembled like a leaf in the wind.

“I clearly warned you, didn’t I? If you don’t live quietly like a mouse, you’ll die.”

Jeong-hoon’s voice was filled with killing intent, his eyes locking onto Laos as though ready to end his life right there.

Laos, with a pale face, hiccupped nervously.

“Hi-ik! Th-th-that…!”

“Do you want to die? Or would you rather go back quietly?”

“I-I’ll go back… Hi-ik!”

“Get out of here before you change your mind.”

“Y-yes… yes!”

With a quick gesture from Jeong-hoon, Laos turned and fled, stumbling repeatedly as he lost his balance, but he didn’t stop running.

“Wow…”

Far off, Karvan, who had been watching, was once again in awe. This time, Jeong-hoon hadn’t even used force. And yet, he subdued Laos so effortlessly.

Truly, his benefactor was incredible.

“You should be fine for now.”

Karvan nodded, expressing his gratitude.

“Thank you so much! It seems like the more I receive, the more I want to repay you.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”

Only three days were left. If he could hold on for just three more days, he would be able to proceed with the next episode quest.

* * *

[Quest Completed]

[You have gained 10,000,000 experience points.]

[You can now proceed with the next quest.]

Seven days passed, and the quest was completed.

From that point on, things proceeded swiftly.

Becoming the benefactor of the third prince and assisting him in establishing his position—this was a lengthy quest, but Jeong-hoon skipped over as much as he could to speed through it.

And soon, the final quest was in sight.

[Episode Quest: The Fall of the Hixmion Empire]

- Requirement: Complete the New Heir quest.

- Reward: Access to the next quest + experience points.

- Description: Eliminate Laos Rude Hixmion, the seed of destruction.

It was here.

Normally, this episode would end with Jeong-hoon assisting the second prince and eliminating Laos Rude Hixmion. The direction had shifted slightly, but the conclusion remained the same.

According to the story of the original timeline, Laos should have fallen much sooner. However, due to his intelligence, he surrounded himself with capable people and managed to narrow the position of Laos.

Having begun to fall behind in the succession struggle, Laos grew desperate, and ultimately made the worst decision.

‘He summoned a transcendent and made a contract with it.’

Having made a contract with the transcendent, Laos lost his sanity and went on a rampage, bringing about the destruction of the Hixmion Empire.

Even though Jeong-hoon would stop him during the episode quest, the destroyed dimension wouldn’t return to its original state. Still, to complete the quest, Laos had to be dealt with.

As soon as Jeong-hoon accepted the quest, he stormed into the room where Laos Rude Hixmion was holed up.

Bang!

When he opened the door, a musty odor hit him, and black smoke slowly began to rise from inside.

Jeong-hoon raised Leviathan and immediately swung his sword at Laos.

Clang!

Laos, raising his sword, blocked Jeong-hoon’s strike.

Despite having his abilities drained, Laos managed to block the attack perfectly, even though he shouldn’t have had the strength to do so.

This meant Jeong-hoon was a step too slow.

“Hehehe, it’s done. I’ve gained the ultimate power! With this, I can kill you!”

Laos grinned maniacally, aiming his sword at Jeong-hoon.

“Is it so hard to live quietly like a mouse?”

Jeong-hoon had hoped to end this quickly and finish the episode. Sighing softly, he stepped into the Heavenly Demon Lord’s Dominion stance.

“Heh, shut up. I’ll kill you with my own hands.”

Clang!

Their swords clashed again.

Laos had gained enough power to destroy an entire empire on his own.

It was clear that he hadn’t simply made a contract with an ordinary transcendent.

[Blackfield Activated]

[All stats are increased by 1.8 times.]

[Due to the effect of Blackfield, all stats of monsters entering this domain are reduced by 15%.]

Jeong-hoon summoned the Legendary-level Blackfield.

When it had been at the Unique level, it had been boosted by 1.5 times, but with the upgrade to Legendary, the boost had increased to 1.8 times.

Along with that, he activated his stat-boosting ring and Celestial Aura all at once.

The final episode quest.

He would end it with full power in an instant.

Swoosh—

As Jeong-hoon swung his sword, a chilling cutting sound rang through the air, and Laos’ right arm fell to the ground.

“AAAGH!”

Laos screamed in pain, but it was too late.

Swoosh—

Jeong-hoon swung again, and this time, Laos’ right leg was severed.

With that, Laos lost his balance and fell to the ground.

“Ghhhk! Why! Why!?”

“Why? Because you’re weak.”

Jeong-hoon swung his sword once more to finish the job.

Clang!

At that moment, someone appeared and blocked Jeong-hoon’s sword.

It was the transcendent who had made a contract with Laos.

[Translator - Kiteretsu]

[Proofreader - Kyros]