Chapter 29
The Villainous Family’s Top Dog is Overpowered
Tionis let out a heavy sigh.
Perhaps it was fortunate that the Kavelug Knights had been stationed in the mountain range.
He had vowed to spend time with Marianne today, so he had prepared for the possibility that something might happen in the meantime.
Still, he never imagined that something like this would actually occur.
“Someone actually dared to touch the core of the monsters again…”
That had to have been the real goal from the beginning.
After sending back the Eighth Prince and temporarily subduing the monster’s core, Tionis thought the immediate threat had been neutralized.
The true mastermind had probably taken advantage of that very gap.
The Kavelug Duke family archives contained countless records related to “monsters.”
However, there was no method described for completely destroying a “monster’s core.”
At best, the technique to temporarily subdue it had been discovered by Hyden.
Neither the previous Kavelug Duke nor, going further back, the first Kavelug Duke, had been able to find such a method.
Tionis gritted his teeth at the memory of the documents Hyden had handed over, his expression utterly tense.
[Reports indicate that monsters have crossed the Serval Mountains and reached the duchy.]
The coordinates where he had just teleported were precisely those written on the paper.
“…Duke!”
As soon as he arrived, the Kavelug Knight Commander rushed over as if waiting for him.
“What happened?”
“I apologize! The number of monsters that crossed the mountains far exceeded our expectations…”
The commander’s head hung low, and unlike usual, he trailed off mid-sentence.
Tionis didn’t need to ask to understand the magnitude of the crisis.
The black armor the commander wore was covered in monster blood and slime, making it nearly impossible to recognize its original appearance.
“Casualties?”
“So far, eleven are injured, but fortunately, no deaths yet.”
A piercing scream rang out behind the reporting commander. Tionis quickly scanned the surroundings.
The knights were still facing an onslaught of monsters, and some were evacuating residents who couldn’t get out of the way in time.
Even carrying the wounded to safety was handled entirely by the knights, which left them understaffed and overwhelmed.
Tionis placed his hand on his sword sheath.
“The residents?”
“Pardon?”
“Are any of the injured residents?”
“…Ah, none so far!”
“That’s a relief.”
His other hand went over his chest.
Thanks to Marianne’s adjustments earlier, he felt his mana flow quite smoothly.
A faint smile crossed his face, as though he could still feel her warmth lingering. Then, he enveloped his sword in a surge of mana and drew it.
“…I promised to spend time together today.”
Regret for breaking his promise.
And anger toward those who had harmed his people.
“This kind of deed could only be the Crown Prince’s doing.”
The sword’s aura grew, not just surrounding the blade but swelling to the point of threatening to engulf Tionis himself.
“Commander.”
“Y-Yes, Duke.”
Overwhelmed by the pressure, the commander stammered as he watched the waves of killing intent radiate from the sword.
“Relay this to all Kavelug Knights: immediately cease combat with the monsters and move the injured to safety.”
“Yes, sir!”
The commander quickly carried out Tionis’s orders. The knights, upon hearing the command, retreated from the monsters without hesitation.
The numerous monsters, dripping with killing intent, gazed at Tionis, who now stood alone.
Screeching, they opened their massive jaws, intending to devour him, but nothing happened as they wished.
BANG!
Tionis slashed through the air with his sword, and with an immense roar, hundreds of monsters were cut down.
“I promised to go to the library together…”
The bitter thought escaped him, but honestly, he had no intention of holding Hyden back.
Even as Hyden had rushed off in a panic, he had tried to apologize helplessly—how could Tionis restrain him?
It was also the first time he had seen Hyden’s face so pale.
As Tionis turned to glance at the side where Hyden was, their eyes met.
“Ahem.”
Hyden suddenly cleared his throat, pretending not to notice.
“….”
Tionis must have looked very disappointed. Normally, it would be hard to detect the inner thoughts of someone so self-contained, but it seemed Hyden was clumsily trying to comfort him.
Hyden tried to avoid eye contact but slowly inched closer.
‘I’m not even a cat right now.’
This was the kind of behavior he would show if Tionis were a cat lying on a soft bed, and he wanted to sneakily touch his tail.
“Hyden. What are you doing?”
Tionis watched his approaching steps carefully, raising an eyebrow.
A second awkward cough sounded from nearby.
“Mary.”
Hyden mumbled seriously in a low voice, though it didn’t suit him at all.
“Hmm?”
Still, Tionis relaxed his gaze, assuming Hyden was trying to offer comfort. He would respond lightly no matter what.
“I was actually a swordsman traveling the world, hunting monsters.”
“Ah…huh?”
But he couldn’t respond immediately.
Hyden’s sudden revelation about his past was interesting enough to hold attention.
They had been talking for over an hour, seated across a small table from each other.
The story sounded like something out of a famous fairy tale, though the Pontinezer Library had no such books, so Tionis wasn’t entirely sure.
“So you were traveling the world hunting monsters and got cursed?”
“Exactly, Mary.”
A genius, indeed!
Tionis waved his hand at him casually, still seated on the sofa as before.
From what he could gather, Hyden had encountered a giant, unfamiliar monster, fought it, and survived by a miracle.
After that, using his full power would trigger a curse, causing him to vomit blood and collapse.
‘A swordsman hunting monsters…’
It was hard to imagine at all.
…No, more than that, he suddenly shared his past just to divert my attention?
Truly unusual.
Tionis looked at him across the table, legs crossed, holding his teacup.
Though he might make strange noises where the servants couldn’t see, his pale skin and neatly tied brown hair gave no hint of his extraordinary past.
Ah, those emerald eyes. Occasionally, an unidentifiable sense of pressure emanated from them—was it due to his past?
‘But does he really have to hold the teacup like that?’
He raised his pinky finger straight, trying to appear elegant.
Tionis frowned, unable to hide his true feelings. No matter how great Hyden was, he couldn’t mask his own thoughts here.
After savoring the tea, Hyden quietly set down the cup.
“The Duke rescued me when I was dying. He asked me to become the steward of the Kavelug residence in exchange for supporting my monster research. I desperately needed to survive, so it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.”
“Then Tionis saved you?”
“Hmm, he brought me here, but to be precise, I was saved by Mag… Ah.”
Hyden stopped mid-sentence, glancing at Tionis noticeably.
“Yes, that’s right. The Duke saved me. Normally, the curse would have caused me to vomit blood and slowly die, but thanks to the treatment, I can move around normally.”
Ah… hmm?
Before Tionis could ask more, Hyden suddenly shrugged off his jacket.
Wait… what are you doing?
Startled, Tionis covered his eyes with both hands, but Hyden ignored him, undoing a few buttons of his shirt as well.
“Looking like that is more obscene, Mary. Just look properly.”
“….”
Tionis hadn’t meant to, but somehow ended up peeking through his fingers.
When his chest came fully into view, Tionis couldn’t help but doubt his eyes.
