The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 168

-…Thank you for saving my church. It is only right and proper to repay a favor. Therefore, I shall give these to you.

The item that Ternia, the God of Justice and Law, gave to Aden was a bracelet.

[Ternia’s Guardian Bracelet]

A bracelet worn by the transcendent being, Ternia, the God of Justice and Law.

-When it senses an imminent physical danger to the wearer, it transforms into armor to protect its owner.

-When transformed and equipped as armor, it reduces physical impact by 50% and heals the wearer’s body with holy power.

The reward given by the Lawful God was a bracelet that could transform into armor at any time.

‘It reduces physical impact by half…’

Aden already had Banshee’s Spirit Shield and the cotton armor that Hetos made from Fairy Silk.

‘However, the Spirit Shield’s supplementary features, like its berserk ability, are more important than its primary function as a shield. Since the cotton armor made by Hetos is thin and light, I can wear this armor over it.’

Moreover, since the armor healed injuries with holy power, it seemed like it would synergize well with Aden’s regenerative mana.

“I will accept it gratefully. However, I have a question, Ternia.”

-What is it that you wish to ask?

“Why are you giving me these things?”

-You speak the obvious. It’s because you saved the church…

“If that’s the case, there must be plenty of people in the world deserving of holy relics like me.”

-…

Aden had never heard of a god bestowing holy relics upon anyone other than saints.

Yet, he had acquired the Sacred Fire Lord’s holy relic, and he had even encountered the Slaughter God and the Lawful God in visions.

At this point, he couldn’t help but realize it.

The gods were favoring him.

“Is it because I’m a regressor? And because I’m someone who can stand against the opening of the Gates of Hell?”

-Partially, yes.

“So, that’s not the whole reason. Can you tell me what it is?”

-That is impossible.

“Why not?”

-Your question is restricted by the world’s limitations, so I cannot answer.

Aden’s brow furrowed automatically.

That damned “world’s limitations” or whatever it was—he was starting to get seriously annoyed by it.

-You need not be so impatient.

The God of Justice and Law spoke to Aden.

-Even if I do not tell you, you will soon learn why we are doing this.

“When exactly will that be?”

-Find the last holy relic of the Sacred Fire Lord.

“…”

-Then you will obtain the answers you seek.

The holy relics left behind by the Sacred Fire Lord.

He was to find them.

But what did that have to do with him?

As Aden’s doubts deepened.

-Now, time is up. You should go.

“No, wait a moment…!”

Aden tried to say something more, but his figure vanished from the Lawful God’s sanctuary in a flash.

Then, alone in that place, Ternia, the God of Justice and Law, let out a low sigh and murmured.

-Hoo, how pitiful that I have no choice but to rely on a mere human…

But there was no other way.

A seed they had failed to eradicate, the karma that led the world into chaos, was already bringing disaster, and at this very moment, danger was approaching.

The key to solving this lay solely in the hands of Aden Remes.

-So, even if it is excessive, I must support him.

Srrr, two of the five pairs of wings sprouting from the Lawful God’s back melted into the air and disappeared.

-Hoo…

The God of Justice and Law sighed once more.

And then.

-You fool, how dare you ruin my image! You wretched wench!

At that moment, the Slaughter God appeared with a pop.

-Did you call me, you petty god?

-No, I didn’t! Now, scram!

Another peaceful day in the realm of the gods.

* * *

The meeting hall where Chaos’s leadership gathered through video projections.

Including the leader, the boss, there were five shadows present.

-Only five of us left now.

-…

The executives fell silent at the boss’s words.

The boss had personally executed Estras of Vileness by burning, and Somora of Delight had been defeated while trying to eliminate Prince Remes, the thorn in their side.

The executives had brief thoughts.

‘What a pathetic fool.’

‘That guy was always arrogant. He deserved what he got.’

There was no camaraderie or sense of fellowship among them.

They simply bowed to the boss’s overwhelming power or held their positions as executives due to mutual interests.

Sitting on a high throne, the boss spoke in a bored voice.

-…It seems Aden Remes was stronger than expected. This is unexpected. I thought Somora and his subordinates would be enough.

The boss couldn’t initially understand why Somora of Delight had died.

The guy was an arch-lich who had lived for centuries, an immortal being unless all of his Life Vessels were destroyed.

It was strange that such a being had been completely annihilated.

‘Even if he is the Contractor of Gluttony, it should have been impossible.’

There were two possibilities.

The first was that Aden Remes just happened to have a move optimized against Somora.

If not that…

‘A higher transcendent entity might have intervened.’

For instance, ‘gods.’

Aden Remes was called the Apostle of Prophecy and the Chosen of the Sacred Fire in the Sacred Fire Order.

The boss didn’t know exactly what item he had obtained from the church, but it was said that he had been chosen by a holy relic.

Perhaps Somora of Delight had been defeated by the power of that holy relic.

‘It seems those incompetent gods who only stare down at the mortal realm from above are starting to play tricks.’

If the gods had intervened, it made sense that the Contractor of Gluttony, Aden Remes, was still in good condition and that he was opposing Chaos.

The boss admitted it honestly.

He had underestimated Aden too much.

‘Moreover, Aden Remes is of the ‘Remes’ bloodline… I should have been more cautious.’

It had only been a few centuries, but he had grown complacent, thinking that extracting the wolf’s fangs and claws had turned it into a mere dog.

Even if the bloodline had thinned and diluted, it was still his blood.

‘This… is unpleasant.’

The boss felt displeasure at the thought of someone daring to oppose him.

And if the gods were really starting to intervene, even indirectly, it would be quite bothersome.

Though it wasn’t something he found particularly threatening.

‘Because I have the demon sword, Balak.’

The demon sword, Balak, which sealed the power of dragons.

It was a sword once guarded by the blue-eyed spirit dragon ‘Leviathan,’ the tyrant of the sea. Countless lives had been lost just to obtain it.

One-third of Chaos’s total power had been wiped out, but it was worth that much.

As long as he had this, he only needed to find a dragon, and then he could drive it into a rampage.

Then, there would be no need to worry about a mere master who was blessed by some gods.

‘But the problem is that we haven’t found that dragon yet.’

Finding the dragon would take quite some time, and in the meantime, that young master, protected by the gods, would continue to hinder their plans.

So, they couldn’t just let it go.

-I’ve made my decision.

The boss of Chaos declared to his executives.

-Aden Remes. We need to eliminate that obstacle first.

At that moment, Aden’s presence in the boss’s mind shifted from ‘interest’ to ‘threat.’

* * *

After finishing their business in the Sacred Kingdom, Aden and his party left Ternia.

A horse-drawn carriage passed through the forest.

The region between the northwestern Sacred Kingdom of Ternia and the northern Frozen Kingdom was mountainous, so they had already crossed several mountains.

‘Normally, we would have taken a more comfortable route as we did on the way here.’

However, due to the commotion in Ternia, the line of carriages passing through the main gates was too long, so they had to take a side road.

“Hyah!”

“Hmm, Sir Knight, a little higher.”

“Yes.”

“Mix mandrake leaves with Despair Grass extract in a three-to-one ratio, heat it, and a special phenomenon… Ugh, this is so difficult.”

Priest Bali sat in the driver’s seat, holding the reins, while Cassie read a book with her shoulders resting on Roe’s, and Unknown was struggling with an alchemy textbook she had been assigned as homework by Cassie.

As she stroked Choco, Elise laughed with genuine delight.

“Hehe, that was so much fun! Aden oppa, let’s all go to the gambling den again next time!”

“…”

What should he do about this?

Seeing Elise, Aden couldn’t help but feel the dangers of early education.

-Oh, Dragon Slayer, you’ve thoroughly corrupted that innocent child. Pouring black ink onto a blank white sheet, aren’t you?

‘…Shut up.’

Though Aden felt a bit guilty this time, he quickly dismissed it.

‘I didn’t do anything; it was that gambling hall owner who sent the invitation, so it’s his fault. That wretched, evil lich.’

-Your ability to shift blame is truly impressive.

Aden ignored both Curse’s nonsense and the little saintess’s newfound gambling addiction and began to organize his thoughts.

‘The benefits from this incident are considerable.’

First, they had prevented Chaos from taking over the Sacred Kingdom and had now placed Lilianas, the new leader of Ternia, in their debt.

They had also eliminated the gambling hall owner, who had been hiding his identity as a Chaos executive, and obtained his wraith.

Considering he was a Chaos executive, the information he had must be significant.

‘But the real gain is the Mad Dragon, or rather, the Hermit.’

The task she had entrusted to Aden was the “eradication of Chaos” and finding the whereabouts of the demon sword, Balak, which could control dragons.

“That sword is too dangerous. It must be found and sealed away so that no one can touch it.”

‘Anyway, I was planning to wipe out the Chaos bastards, so it’s not an unreasonable request. If they get their hands on that demon sword, things will get messy, so I need to stop it.’

In exchange for Aden agreeing to take on these two tasks, the Hermit had promised to actively cooperate with Aden’s quest for revenge.

From Aden’s perspective, it was like gaining an invaluable ally.

‘Yes, this is good. Very good, but…’

However, there was a small issue that made Aden frown.

“Oh my, a carriage that operates with a complex array of auxiliary spells always active? Whoever made this must be quite skilled.”

The red-haired, red-eyed beauty, the Hermit, was examining the magical carriage Gustav had made with great interest.

That’s right.

This troublesome individual had decided to join Aden’s party and travel with them to Frozen.

“…Why exactly are you coming with us?”

“Well, I’ve already dealt with the gambling hall owner, and there’s no more reason to stay in that kingdom.”

“Won’t Princess Lilith be disappointed?”

“I’ve already said my goodbyes. We’ll keep in touch with letters.”

She said with a grin.

“Besides, there’s nothing for me to do there anymore. Even if she doesn’t mean to, Lilith will subconsciously rely on me if I’m around. Now that I’ve raised a master, it’s time for her to handle things on her own. As a recluse, I naturally need to step back.”

Although she made it sound reasonable, Aden understood her true intentions.

“You’re just bored and following us for fun, aren’t you?”

“Oh no, you got me! Hahaha!”

“…”

“That land you mentioned, where those stubborn dwarves are building a city full of mana stones—it sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? And somehow, my intuition tells me it’ll be more fun being by your side. Hehe!”

“Hermit ajumma! Show us that thing again! The fireworks!”

“Haha, sure, here you go.”

“Wow! It’s a star!”

-Woof woof!

“Now, a bird.”

“Wow! A falcon!”

“…That’s an eagle.”

The Hermit wiggled her fingers, conjuring various shapes in the air with orange flames, such as stars or an eagle flapping its wings, and played with Elise.

It was like watching a grandmother play with her granddaughter.

Despite the fire burning brightly, there was no heat, demonstrating her absurdly precise mana control.

The party thought she was just a freelance mage that Aden had hired this time.

Though, in reality, she was now Aden’s employee.

Aden sighed lightly and shook his head.

‘Well, let’s think positively.’

She was a bit unpredictable and had a difficult personality, but she was still a dragon.

Having her nearby could prove useful.

-To think you’re planning to use a dragon, I can’t imagine how bold you must be.

‘Yes, keep not knowing for the rest of your life.’

As Aden casually ignored Curse’s sarcastic remarks, the Hermit, who had been playing with Elise, suddenly spoke up.

“Now that I think about it, there’s something I forgot to mention.”

“Hmm?”

“I heard that bandits frequently appear on the forest roads around here.”

Bandits?

Why bring that up all of a sudden?

“Indeed. But these aren’t just any ordinary bandits.”

“Bandits are bandits; what makes these any different?”

“I heard they have a ‘king.’”

“A king?”

“It seems that a large number of small and medium-sized bandit camps have formed a giant alliance centered around a mountain stronghold led by a particularly powerful bandit. They say that in this area, the leader of that alliance is called the ‘Mountain Bandit King,’ and he’s greatly feared.”

“Ha. Bandits calling themselves kings, how amusing.”

“I agree. But these guys have grown so powerful that even the surrounding territories don’t dare to provoke them and instead offer tributes every month, saying, ‘Please treat us kindly. Here, have a gift!’”

That was an interesting story.

It was extremely rare for bandits to form such a massive group.

However, the Hermit’s lips curled into a meaningful smile.

“The problem is that these bandits have grown so arrogant that they even target carriages bearing noble family crests.”

“What do you… Oh.”

Just as Aden was about to dismiss it as nonsense, he sensed something in his perception.

So that’s why.

No wonder she suddenly brought up bandits.

Aden frowned.

“Damn it, don’t go on and on; just give a warning.”

“Wouldn’t that be less fun?”

What a cursed reptile.

With a “neigh!” the carriage suddenly stopped.

Then, a shout rang out.

“Hahaha! If you want to pass this mountain, pay the toll!”

“Hand over everything except your underwear! Hahaha!”

Around forty bandits blocked the road, surrounding the carriage.

A carriage that carried a Sword Master and a dragon.