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Chapter 70
Chapter 70
[Translator – Helga]
[Proofreader – Lucky]
Chapter 70
Kane was rushing towards the group that had gone ahead.
“It’s not exactly pleasing to have someone else deal with the enemy for me.”
No, in fact, it was quite humiliating.
He once reached the 8th class.
In contrast, his opponent was a mere 7th class mage.
Moreover, he knew all of Ulrich’s attack patterns.
And yet, he lost.
So cleanly.
He was no match for him.
Even with a significant gap, he thought he could exchange a few blows.
But that was a mistake.
He was overconfident.
It could only be explained by being intoxicated with his past abilities.
“I’m still only a mid-tier 4th class knight. I’m not who I used to be.”
Far from his glorious prime.
For now, he was just one of many late bloomers.
Thinking he could kill one of the Seven Executioners.
Thinking he could just rely on Crown Prince Isaac.
He exposed himself to danger.
It was a very foolish way.
If one’s strength is weak, one should be cautious.
This was not a game where you die and come back to life.
One death was the end.
He wouldn’t go through regression twice.
He only had one chance.
So, he couldn’t afford to act foolishly.
“There are unseen strong enemies all over the world. If I don’t get stronger, I’ll be devoured someday.”
He clenched his fist tightly.
And he vowed to become stronger than he was now.
“The fastest way to get stronger is through real combat.”
Training at home had its limits.
A crisis at the crossroads of life and death was the best training.
It was the quickest shortcut to becoming stronger.
“At the same time, I will also work on crafting.”
It was a crazy thing to do.
Crafting consumed a tremendous amount of mental energy.
The physical and mental strain in real combat was also immense.
No matter how abundant mana was.
If he did both simultaneously, his body wouldn’t withstand it.
But what else could he do?
He had to use any method to become stronger.
After running for a long time, he finally encountered Camilla and the group.
Camilla was startled to see him.
“Y-Young Master!”
He was drenched in blood.
Moreover, his eyes were sharper due to his resolve.
“Don’t make a fuss, I’m not hurt much.”
Camilla took out a handkerchief and wiped Kane’s face.
“We can’t continue like this. There’s a stream ahead; let’s rest there for a while. Everyone will be alarmed if we return like this.”
“Let’s do that.”
Kane readily agreed.
Upon reaching the stream, Kane took off his clothes and washed himself.
Meanwhile, Camilla prepared a simple meal.
At the point where darkness faded and the sun was rising.
They had been running all night, so they needed to satiate their hunger.
Kane stopped washing and frowned.
“It’s poison. Did Dyer set a trap?”
Poison was now useless to him.
Even formlessness poison was effortlessly purified by his blood mana.
“Camilla.”
“Yes?”
“Did you use stream water to prepare the food?”
“Of course not. I’m a knight of Rehinar. I can make water anytime.”
Camilla demonstrated creating water with her mana.
“Then the problem is that guy.”
Kane turned his head to look at Blata splashing around in the stream.
“Hehe! Water, wateeer! Hehe.”
The fool was blissfully unaware that he was playing with poisoned water.
[Blata]
Rank: ?????
Description: Hatched from an egg Kane obtained from the ‘Cave of Species.’
Caution – The personality of a pet changes depending on how its owner raises it.
Trait: Ferocious Evil beast (SSR)
Skills: Bloodsucking (S), Blood Flame (S)
[Mood: Excited from splashing water]
Status: Poisoned
“He must be a mutant even among evil beast. He doesn’t even realize he’s poisoned.”
“Kane, look at me. I’m floating! Hehe.”
“Are you okay?”
“What do you mean?”
Blata tilted his head in confusion. At that moment, a Blood Tiger came to the stream, drank a sip of water, and immediately spat it out.
“Khag-khag!”
The Blood Tiger hissed.
Blata, who had been happily playing, screamed.
“Aaagh!”
He hurried out of the water.
He was about to get angry, but his ears drooped.
“Kane, I feel weak.”
Blata flopped down flat.
Kane sighed and cradled Blata in his arms.
“How can a ferocious beast like you get poisoned by such a trivial poison?”
“I’m still in my infancy…”
“You know that’s no excuse, right?”
Blata was the apex predator among monsters in the continent.
It was laughable.
“If this happens again, I’ll just leave you behind.”
Kane changed into the new clothes he had left by the stream.
Then he picked up Blata and walked over to Camilla.
***
“Hehe, look at them eating it up.”
A group was laughing as they watched the scene reflected in a crystal orb.
“Hey, but how did you know that blockhead would sneak out from the imperial capital?”
“We were monitoring the inn where he was staying.”
“So you decided to poison this spot in advance?”
“Of course. If they want to cook, they need water, right?”
“Smart move.”
“I’ve been a mercenary for 20 years. I know these things.”
“Now we just have to go and take their heads.”
They grinned at each other, readying their weapons. But then,
“Huh? The dullard’s gone.”
“We saw him just a moment ago.”
“Exactly… where did he suddenly disappear to?”
As they leaned closer to the orb, droplets of water fell from the sky.
Splash! Splash! Splash!
The water droplets instantly took the lives of about 80 men.
[Experience has increased.]
[Experience has increased.]
[Experience has increased.]
Kane walked out from the forest.
Dealing with these insignificant mercenaries was quite easy.
Because of that, his experience didn’t increase significantly.
“Ugh…”
Amidst the dead mercenaries, one remained alive.
“Where are the others?”
“…Grr…”
“If you talk, it’ll be less painful for you.”
The mercenary was about to speak but then breathed his last.
“Tsk. I couldn’t control my strength.”
Blood Void.
It was the mana strength of 4 Runes, Blood Oath.
He had only achieved this stage when he reached the 8th class in the past.
Now, he reached it at the mid-tier of 4th class.
‘Five Elements Blood extreme physique (SSR+)’
‘Pure Blooded (UR)’
‘Bloodstone (UR)’
These three were the reasons.
‘Five Elements blood extreme physique’ was the body most suitable for blood mana.
‘Pure Blooded’ was a trait that enhanced his strength.
And ‘Bloodstone’ was the special mana stone that brought Blood Knights close to perfection.
After that, the abilities would vary based on the potential of the awakened Blood Knight.
“It’ll take some time to adjust. The story has diverged a bit.”
Originally, upon returning to Rehinar, he was only supposed to encounter the Seventh Executioner.
But the scenario had started to deviate since he killed Mateo Dyer.
“Even so, Dyer’s destruction at my hands won’t change.”
He wasn’t worried, though.
He was confident he could handle all the upcoming events.
Finishing his thoughts, he returned to where the group was.
“Where did you go in the middle of our meal?”
Camilla was unaware that someone had poisoned the stream.
She had used mana to create water for the simple cooking she had done.
The mercenaries had made the most foolish mistake.
Such petty tricks didn’t work when dealing with someone from Rehinar.
Of course, Kane’s body’s resistance to poison played a part too.
Otherwise, he would have ended up poisoned like Blata.
“I just went to the bathroom.”
“You should have told me beforehand. That was embarrassing.”
Camilla buried her head and took a bite of her food.
Blata was still in a poisoned state.
“Bleeeh… Whoever did this won’t get away with it… Ugh…”
Kane didn’t bother to cure Blata.
This level of poison couldn’t harm an evil beast.
It just made him a bit dizzy.
The poison would probably detoxify on its own over time.
In fact, it made Blata less annoying and more lethargic.
So he left him be.
“If you’re done eating, clean up and let’s move out immediately.”
The female slaves found tasks to do and started moving.
They were perceptive women.
The Blood Tiger carried Blata and Camilla on its back.
Kane rode on his horse.
“We won’t be able to rest until we reach Rehinar.”
“Why?”
Camilla blinked her innocent eyes.
Kane just smiled in response.
***
Swish!
An arm was cut off and hung in the air.
Blood splattered on the ground.
Armor cracking sounds were heard, and as well as swords were shattered.
[Experience points have increased.]
[Experience points have increased.]
[Camilla’s level has increased.]
[The relationship with the Dyer family has changed to Enemy (-100) Favorablity.]
Kane shook the blood off his sword.
Around him lay countless corpses.
Some wore armor.
Others wore robes.
They had only one thing in common.
Their armor or robes were marked with a wolf symbol.
Camilla approached after slashing the chest of the last remaining enemy.
“Young Master, isn’t this practically a declaration of war?” she asked with a serious expression.
There had been 150 sudden attackers.
They weren’t the elite troops of Dyer.
But all were mercenaries and mages in Dyer’s service.
All had mana of at least the third class.
It seemed as if they were testing their strength, sending stronger forces each time.
“I feel like just crushing and taking over Philaec,” Kane mused.
Philaec was the trade center.
If they took it, they could trade anywhere in the empire.
Philaec had waterways connecting the northern and southern parts of the empire.
But Kane set aside that thought.
“Right now, just developing Rehinar is overwhelming.”
“You’re right. Rehinar has only just started to develop. It’s still far behind other territories in many ways. And our number of soldiers is another issue. Since you expelled all the mercenaries, there’s a significant gap in our forces,” Camilla pointed out.
They hadn’t been able to properly build their forces yet.
They needed more than just the Guardian Knights.
They needed to keep recruiting soldiers.
There was so much to do.
Even if they took Philaec.
They wouldn’t be able to manage it properly.
Expanding without strengthening their core could lead to trouble later.
“Killing these attackers only gives me a pittance of experience, should we detour….” Kane pondered returning to Rehinar via a longer route.
Even if they went straight, there were too many annoying pests that would delay them.
Camilla heaved a sigh of relief.
With the young duke’s recent temperament, he might have charged headlong.
It was a relief that he decided to step back.
But the relief was short-lived.
“But I won’t endure two embarrassments in my book.”
Camilla’s unease returned.
“Right?”
“Yes. I plan to ransack the place. When Count Dyer returns to his territory, I want him to find it in ruins.”
All of Dyer’s elites had followed the count.
So there was a gap in the territory’s forces.
Even the Holy Tree knights were absent.
It was a territory stripped of its best.
“Those left won’t be able to stop me.”
Before Count Dyer returns from the hidden realm, Kane plans to wreak havoc on Philaec.
Could he pass up such a golden opportunity and simply return home?
And leave those attacking him alone?
It was unthinkable when he was Ray Hatzfeld.
“We need to strike quickly and then retreat, so you head straight to Rehinar,” Kane said firmly.
His voice brooked no argument.
Camilla couldn’t bring herself to dissuade him and had no choice but to take the detour with Blata.
Once the group had disappeared,
Kane charged straight toward Philaec.
[Translator – Helga]
[Proofreader – Lucky]