[Trantor - Helga ]


    [Proofreader - Lucky]


    Chapter 120


    The terrifying Rehinar family had returned.


    This rumor swept across the continent.


    Count McCarthy led his army personally to attack Rehinar, but...


    Over 10,000 soldiers were wiped out.


    Not only Count McCarthy, but also his entire army perished.


    Stories about Rehinar spread like wildfire, and the continent was abuzz.


    Rehinar was no exception.


    "I can hardly believe it, even after seeing it with my own eyes…"


    "I never knew the Young Duke Kane was so powerful."


    The people of the territory passed military supplies to the storage depot as they exchanged stories.


    Rehinar was filled with nothing but talk about Kane.


    Everywhere, people spoke of how he annihted McCarthy.


    "Now, even if we venture into other territories, no one will look down on us just because we''re from Rehinar."


    "Look down on us? They''ll be moring for information about Rehinar!"


    "We might even walk with a bit more pride in our step."


    "Even though we subdued Dyer and Tegelo, because of the Duke’s illness, people still quietly looked down on us...


    But now, their gaze toward us will changepletely."


    "That’s why I can’t leave Rehinar behind."


    "This ce is addictive in its own way."


    The people of the territory all shared a sense of pride in Rehinar.


    Their homnd.


    The renownednd of dual swords was once again standing tall in the empire.


    Their spirits naturally rose with pride.


    "It would be great if we could continue this momentum and conquer the Demon forest and the monsters."


    "It seems like that''s the n. The soldiers aren’t letting down their guard even after the battle with McCarthy is over because the situation in the Demon forest looks ominous."


    The Demon forest always brought unease to the people of Rehinar.


    It was the domain of mutated monsters.


    Though it provided abundant resources, it also frequently posed a mortal threat.


    Moreover, there were still very few Rehinar outposts within the Demon Forest.


    Expanding these outposts would ensure the territory''s safety.


    The people hoped that they could seize this opportunity to sweep away the Demon Forest as well.


    * * *


    Perhaps their wishes reached Kane’s ears.


    At the training grounds of the military academy, Kane was studying a map.


    A map of the Demon Forest.


    Kane pointed to the hidden territories bordering Rehinar’s territory.


    "Nightmare Ground, the Frozen Prison, the Red Tribe’s Wooden Fortress, the Desert of Despair, and the Underwater Treasure Vault — these are the areas we must subdue next."


    Quite a few people had gathered here.


    Cami.


    Mikhail.


    Gillip.


    Joseph and Anna were also present.


    "Young Master, why is this person included in the meeting?"


    Cami pointed at Gillip and asked.


    "I don’t know either."


    "How could you say something so hurtful? Our ck Crow Exchange has sworn loyalty to Young Master Kane Rehinar. You should think of us as allies now."


    The Blood Demon Young Master.


    Kane’s nickname echoed loudly across the continent.


    After his victory over McCarthy, the people who once ridiculed his fearsome nickname fell silent.


    In this war with McCarthy, not a single prisoner was taken.


    Just like in the battles with Dyer and Tegelo, everyone was killed.


    Not a single one was left alive.


    Because of this, the ominous title "Blood Demon Young Master" stuck to him.


    They said he was theplete opposite of Duke Carl, who valuedpassion.


    Every noble family on the continent now feared the Blood demon Young Master.


    Rumor had it that crossing Kane would result in their entire family being mercilessly crushed.


    Perhaps that was why…


    Gillip’s loyalty to Kane had only grown stronger.


    "Since we’ll be seeing each other often, feel free to tell me if anything bothers you," Gillip said.


    He didn’t unt his connection to the Tegelo family.


    As a direct descendant of Tegelo, one of the empire’s four great families, Gillip could have easily used the ck Crows'' intelligencework to restore Tegelo.


    But he chose to stay by Kane’s side.


    In his judgment, sticking close to Kane was a far better way to live than rebuilding Tegelo.


    Kane, seeing Gillip’s behavior, scolded him.


    "If you''re going to disrupt the meeting, leave."


    "I’ll keep my mouth shut," Gillip said, covering his own mouth.


    Cami, thinking she might get scolded as well, remained silent.


    As Kane resumed the meeting, ta pointed at the map with his tiny paw.


    "Mikhail, you’ll take on the Nightmare Ground, right?"


    "The area northwest of the territory... shouldn''t we deal with the Red Tribe’s Wooden Fortress before that?" Mikhail suggested, believing that ta was also participating in the meeting.


    Though Mikhail had no prejudice against anyone, despite his rugged appearance, he had a voice filled with elegance, which ta liked.


    ta, almost as if offering a gift, whispered something he had heard from Kane.


    "Kane said something you want is there. So, you should lead the forces."


    "Something I want?" Mikhail looked toward Kane.


    "During the next wave by the mutated monsters, an Undead Knight with a red banner will appear."


    "Really?"


    "Go check it out for yourself. I was nning to retrieve it myself, but the n changed."


    Things wouldn’t follow the original story from now on.


    Originally, Count McCarthy was supposed to return alive.


    But in the recent war, everyone died without exception.


    So, how would the enemy respond?


    The butterfly effect had already begun.


    Therefore, it was best to keep adjusting the n.


    They had to move one step ahead of the enemy.


    "I’ll retrieve the red banner, the me dragon spear of the Pervartz family," Mikhail dered.


    "Then no problem, right?" ta said, pointing to another area.


    "Cami, the Frozen Prison suits you. Can you handle it alone with your soldiers?"


    "I’ll make sure to seed for the Young Master!" Cami said, brimming with determination.


    To earn the Young Master’s praise, one had to do better than others.


    Everyone here was eager to gain the Young Master''s favor.


    Especially Gillip, from the ck Crow exchange, who was desperate for Kane’s approval.


    ‘I have to outdo that guy Mikhail,’ he thought.


    There was no longer any fear in killing the enemy.


    Cami had learned that hesitation had no ce at the tip of a sword.


    Especially when it came to the mutated monsters that threatened Rehinar!


    She believed she could kill them without feeling guilty.


    While Cami steeled her resolve, ta spoke to Kane.


    "Kane, should I stick this brown-noser, Gillip, with Cami?" ta nudged Gillip.


    Gillip protested vigorously.


    "We, the ck Crow Exchange, are capable of subjugating these areas too!"


    ta bared his ws.


    "Look at this little runt, speaking so rudely to someone as high-ranking as me."


    Faced with ta’s teasing, Gillip looked distressed.


    "Young Master, let me take another area as well—"


    "Work with Cami," Kane interrupted him.


    Gillip nced at Cami, who made a face that clearly showed she wasn’t happy about it either.


    "Young Master, I can handle this alone. With the soldiers equipped with the gear Mikhail made, the Frozen Prison won''t be a danger," Cami said confidently.


    "There could still be unknown risks, so go together," Kane replied.


    The word "risk" struck Cami’s ears. For a moment, she thought, <em>The Young Master still cares about me.</em>


    "Yes! I’ll do my best," she responded with sudden enthusiasm, surprising Gillip.


    ta, noticing Gillip’s reaction, chimed in, "You’re on thin ice. One more mistake and Kane will drop you from his inner circle, so make sure you stay on my good side, you sly little rat."


    Gillip was about to retort, but ta had already turned to speak with Joseph, the head instructor of the Rehinar military academy.


    "How many areas do you need to cover?" ta asked.


    "For the cadets'' training, three locations should suffice," Joseph replied, showing a keen sense of hierarchy.


    Joseph understood that beings like ta were particrly strict about ranks. Falling out of favor with such creatures could cause significant problems. Hence, he addressed ta with the utmost respect, which seemed to satisfy the creature.


    "Kane, this human’s quite useful. He seems smart," ta remarked.


    "Of course, you would think so," Kane responded dryly.


    ta continued, "Take the Red Tribe''s Wooden Fortress, the Sand Hell, and the Underwater Treasury. I picked these especially because they’re good training grounds for weaklings. You’re wee."


    "Thank you," Joseph replied gratefully.


    ta, pleased with Joseph’s humble attitude, grinned widely. He seemed like the type who, if treated with enough respect, would practically hand over his heart and soul. A bizarre creature, to say the least. Despite his fierce nature, there was something odd about him, perhaps due to some sort of infection or virus.


    "If you’re worried about training in the dangerous areas, I’ll lend the weakest of my subordinates to you," ta offered.


    Kane shook his head. ta seemed ready to hand over someone entirely useless.


    "Who are you talking about?" Kane asked.


    "One of my followers, the leader of the ta cult. He’s the weakest among them. He’d only be a burden, so it’s up to you if you want him."


    "The leader of the ta Cult? The one from the Blood Grand Temple?" Joseph asked, astonished.


    "Yep. He swore loyalty to me, so I gave him some of my power. You wanna take him?" ta asked casually.


    Joseph turned his gaze to Kane, unsure if ta was exaggerating. But then Kane said something unexpected.


    "Yoshua? Yeah, he’s one of ta’s subordinates. I’m not sure if he’s the weakest, though."


    "What?!" Joseph eximed.


    "Since Anna can’t protect all three areas by herself, taking Yoshua with you isn’t a bad idea," Kane added.


    "I would be more than happy with that," Joseph replied eagerly.


    With Anna, the Ghost of Rehinar, her maid battalion, Yoshua, the Blood Grand Temple leader, and the blood priests, plus the instructors, there was no chance of any disaster happening during the training. Each of them had immense power.


    "Start the training as soon as the second wave of mutated monsters subsides."


    "I will inform the cadets ordingly," Joseph replied, ready for action.


    * * *


    The meeting concluded, leaving only Gillip behind as everyone else departed.


    "Got a problem?" Kane asked.


    "No, not at all."


    "Then why the face?"


    "Is that… creature really second in rank?" Gillip asked, still perplexed.


    Kane chuckled, amused, especially since ta instantly took offense.


    "Second in rank? I’m first! Kane and I are equals! Let’s kill him, Kane!" ta bared his tiny but sharp fangs in a yful threat.


    Gillip, still oblivious, continued treating ta like a pet.


    "Aww, you’re so cute. Want a little treat?" Gillip cooed.


    "Ick! I’ll fucking show you cute!" ta growled and bit Gillip’s hand.


    While Kane felt nothing from ta’s bite, Gillip wasn’t so lucky.


    "Aaah!" Gillip screamed as his blood started being drained by the creature.


    "You picked the wrong one to mess with," Kane remarked calmly.


    "Y-Young Master! Please, make him stop!" Gillip pleaded in panic.


    "Can’t you see he’s lost it? Even I can’t stop him now," Kane said indifferently.


    "I-I’m going to die!" Gillip cried out as he felt his mana being absorbed by ta. He wasn’t exaggerating—the little creature was indeed sucking out his life energy. Knowing that, Gillip became even more frantic.


    But Kane just sighed, watching the scene unfold.


    Just as Gillip was about to resign himself to his fate, ta let go of him.


    "Keep messing with me, and next time, I’ll send you straight to hell," ta warned ominously.


    Kane added a word of caution, "And just so you know, ta holds grudges. Big time."


    Gillip slumped in defeat, feeling the weight of his misfortune settle in. Life had taken a wrong turn, and he could feel it sinking in.


    [Trantor - Helga ]


    [Proofreader - Lucky]