Chapter 32
The immediate crisis was over.
Count Venner was still alive, and that astronomical debt hadn’t gone anywhere—
but at least I’d managed to switch the tracks of the runaway train to ruin.
“At least I can breathe now.”
Knock, knock.
Just when I thought I could finally rest, someone knocked on the door.
‘Who could it be?’
Two short knocks—it had to be Islin.
“My lord, may I come in?”
“Yeah. Come in.”
Islin bowed lightly and stepped inside.
Wearing the maid uniform I’d told her to put on in the mansion, she looked quite proper now.
At first, she’d seemed uncomfortable, but after a few days she got used to it—
whether from adaptation or resignation, I wasn’t sure.
She’d been a great help during the capture of Romulus, too.
By drawing the attention of the ghouls scattered all around, she made things much easier for me.
“What is it?”
“Well…”
Islin hesitated, looking troubled. I wondered what could make her look like that.
After a moment’s thought, the answer came easily enough.
“Is it about the clan members?”
“…Yes.”
“Hm.”
It was more or less what I’d expected.
Most of those in a thieves’ clan were commoners—or lower.
Many of them had little fondness for nobles, to say the least.
And now that the dark mage Romulus had been captured,
the Iann Clan—no, the Gio Clan—would no longer be blamed for his deeds.
It was about time talk started spreading among them.
Things like: “Let’s cut ties with the Count’s household and go back to our old lives.”
Fortunately, Islin herself hadn’t decided to leave.
If she had, she wouldn’t be standing here—she’d already be gone, bags packed with her subordinates.
Right now, the Iann Clan was too valuable a resource to lose.
They’d located Romulus in no time, which meant they knew this region inside and out.
If I exaggerated a bit, I’d say they even knew how many spoons each household owned.
Sure, I knew the storyline of this world,
but only from about four years into the future.
In the original setup, a bloody war between nobles breaks out,
and countless noble houses fall into ruin.
But that starting point has already been completely derailed.
To figure out the new details of this changed timeline,
I needed information—desperately.
The Iann Clan was the perfect foundation for that.
Even if they did rebel against me.
‘I should’ve put them in their place sooner.’
A bit of “discipline” would bring them crawling back soon enough.
“How many are rebelling?”
“Not all of them, my lord! But there’s one especially troublesome man…”
“One?”
“Yes. His name’s Kus. While I was at the mansion, he was stirring up the others…”
“I see.”
‘If it’s just one guy, that’s convenient. I only need to beat one idiot bloody.’
After sorting my thoughts, I told Islin,
“Islin.”
“Yes, my lord.”
“Gather the clan members. Especially the ones who have complaints about me.”
“What? But, my lord, that’s…”
“Don’t worry. I just want to talk to them. Alone.”
“Ah… understood.”
Her face brightened slightly.
She must’ve been afraid I was going to massacre them all.
‘Heh. Sometimes she acts fierce, but she’s strangely gentle.’
With Gio Crisini’s death, the title of clan master had automatically fallen to Islin.
But that didn’t mean the members obeyed her without question.
They were thieves—people who only listened when crushed under absolute power.
And now they were suddenly supposed to follow some backwater noble brat?
Of course there would be backlash.
In their eyes, Gio Crisini’s death was a fluke,
and Romulus’s defeat was all thanks to Islin.
That’s probably what they all thought.
And to them, Iann Imperagi—the notorious scoundrel—must’ve looked like a fool.
Plenty enough reason for Kus to feel confident about challenging me.
‘Well, I’ve ranked up, and I need to test out the new body anyway.’
The first real wall in Rank Up to World Domination!—
between Rank 3 and Rank 4.
My body had already surpassed that barrier.
In the novel, this was the point where rapid growth began—
the first time one could use something similar to aura.
It wasn’t much—barely a faint glow—but even that faint “aura sword”
was leagues above an ordinary mana sword.
A mana sword merely channels energy through the blade.
An aura sword, on the other hand, forms a thin layer of energy around it—
so strong it could slice through solid steel like butter.
As one’s rank rises, that difference grows—from leaving scratches
to cleaving right through metal and flesh alike.
“My lord, we’ve arrived.”
“This place…”
Lost in thought as I walked, I looked up at a familiar sight—
the old shack where I’d first met Islin and her people.
The Iann Clan members had gathered there as promised.
About a dozen or so.
I recognized a few faces.
One man, with tanned skin and broad shoulders, smirked as he stood.
“Well, well. So the ‘master’ himself decided to show up!”
‘That must be Kus.’
His tone was clearly provocative, but I ignored it.
“That’s the one who defied me?”
“Yes.”
“Ha! Defied? Don’t make me laugh! We’ve always been free men!
You think we’d follow some spoiled noble brat? Right, everyone?”
“Y-yeah… right…”
The others reluctantly echoed him.
Some of their faces were bruised.
“Free men, huh? Is that why Gio Crisini used to beat you like dogs?”
“W-what?!”
I’d just thrown the words out casually, but he flinched hard—
a guilty reaction if ever I saw one.
‘So it’s true, then. He really used to beat them.’
In the novel, when the Gio Clan appeared years later, they were described like this:
[Under Dia’s overwhelming power, the clan members trembled.
Run away?
There was no such option.
Anyone who tried would be beaten half to death by Gio Crisini anyway.
That was how he tamed his mad dogs.]
And that was it.
In the novel, the Gio Clan all die by Dia’s hand.
So Gio Crisini’s brutal ways must have started long before that.
“I’ll give you one last chance. Surrender now, and I’ll spare your lives.”
Then I fixed my gaze squarely on Kus.
“You’re the exception, though. I don’t forgive insolence toward nobles. You’ll die.”
“Ha! Big words for someone barely Rank 3!”
I chuckled at his trembling bravado.
Shing.
I drew Yongrin, my dragon-scale sword, and pointed it at them.
None of them had particularly strong mana.
Even Islin—barely at the start of Rank 4—was the strongest here.
‘Perfect warm-up.’
“Let’s not waste time. Come at once.”
“You bastard…!”
“W-what do we do, boss?”
That word—boss—made me snort. They’d already crowned their own leader.
“What do you mean, what do we do?! We go as planned!”
“But attacking a noble—”
Smack!
“Argh!”
Kus punched the hesitant man in the jaw.
That seemed to wake the others right up.
“Pick up your weapons! You deaf?!”
“Ugh…”
Reluctantly, they began drawing their blades.
“M-my lord! If you let us go now, there won’t be any trouble!”
one of them stammered.
But Kus shouted him down.
“Shut up! I was gonna let him live, but that smug face pissed me off!
We’re killing him!”
He yanked a hidden cord inside his sleeve.
Click!
A mechanical sound echoed—and white light flared up around me.
Runes shimmered in the air.
‘A magic-suppression barrier.’
Inside this barrier, magic’s power weakened.
Not too strong, but enough to hinder someone at Rank 3 like me.
He’d planned this—knew I used both sword and magic,
and wanted to cripple at least one.
“Islin.”
She’d been standing quietly, but now she answered softly, uneasy.
“…Yes, my lord.”
“Step back. If I’m going to show them the difference in strength, I have to do it alone.”
“But my lord—!”
“You think I’ll lose?”
“…No. Never.”
She said it firmly.
“You saw my potential, didn’t you? That’s why you chose to follow me.”
“Yes.”
“Then watch closely. See what kind of man your master truly is.”
“…Understood!”
Islin stepped back and readied herself.
Even with the barrier up, she’d be fine—no need to worry about her being taken hostage.
All I had to do now was beat these mutts who dared bite their master.
‘How dare you bare your teeth at me?’
I infused mana into my sword.
The energy deepened, coalescing into a bluish glow—aura.
I could feel it—my mana pool had grown larger.
The energy flowed not from my core, but from the rune on my left hand.
At first, it felt strange—like trying to move my right arm and having my left leg respond.
But now I’d adapted.
It felt as though a heavy chain had been lifted from my body.
“Haha! Islin! It’s not too late to join us! I’ll spare you!
Would be a waste to kill such a pretty face!”
Kus’s voice rang out—part bluff, part delusion.
“You talk too much. Afraid already?”
“What? You’re just Rank 3!”
“Rank 3, huh… Your information network’s slow for a thieves’ clan.
Good thing I get to clean it up.”
“Bastard!”
Kus gave a signal.
Daggers, crossbows, and explosives came flying from all sides.
“Kill him!”
In an instant, projectiles filled the air.
“Hmph.”
I took a deep breath—and swung Yongrin.
If I were higher rank, I could coat my whole body in aura to block them all.
But for now, I simply deflected each one with quick, precise cuts.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The flying weapons lost their force and clattered to the ground.
All that remained were the explosives—small jars packed with gunpowder and a burning fuse.
I sliced the fuse with a single stroke.
Without a detonator, they were just harmless lumps of powder.
Then I caught them on my blade and hurled them back toward the enemy.
The jars shattered at their feet, spilling black powder everywhere.
“Wha—!”
Snap.
I flicked my finger, casting a low-tier spell—Fire Bolt.
The flame was weak, suppressed by the barrier—
but more than enough to ignite gunpowder.
The spark hit.
BOOOOM!
The scattered powder exploded violently, engulfing them in flames and smoke.
“Gahhh!”
Their screams were drowned out by the thunderous blast.
Bodies flew into the air.
The thick smoke blackened the air, hiding everything from sight.
I closed my eyes and listened.
Cough! Cough!
Through the haze came panicked coughs.
“You bastard!”
I lunged toward the sound, cutting through the dark smoke.
Blades flashed. Screams rang.
Time to discipline the dogs who dared bite their master.
Within the choking black smoke—
a single blue aura sword shone brightly, like a beacon in the dark.
