BXBX NOVEL Chapter 194
Chapter 194
Chapter 194: A Favor (1)
***
A few days later, Damien and his family were able to leave the city and return to Spring Castle.
“We’re finally back!”
“There’s no place like home.”
“That’s right.”
As soon as they arrived, everyone in the family breathed a sigh of relief.
Seeing the famous Starlight Fairies Festival in person had been a wonderful experience, but it got marred by a strange incident.
“We almost had caught up in a big disaster…”
“I almost got a heart attack.”
There was so much going on.
Suddenly there was a huge explosion outside the city, and a giant made up of fire appeared.
Just when it seemed like the commotion had died down, this time the Church showed up and started investigating people under the name of interrogation.
What shocked the family the most was the truth behind the commotion outside.
“They were fighting with a Grand Dark Mage, a Master Class, and even a demon…”
The family, and all the people in the city, could have been caught up in it and killed.
“It’s a good thing it ended without a hitch.”
“That’s right. No one was hurt, and everyone’s lives were spared.”
“We had fun at the festival too.”
The family looked at each other and started laughing.
Damien stepped back and watched his family like that.
While he didn’t say anything, Damien felt the same way as his family.
It was a relief that everyone was unharmed and safe.
Then, Damien noticed Victor with a strange expression on his face.
What’s up with your face again? Aren’t you happy to be home?”
“Of course not. I was just thinking about what happened to me at the Church.”
Damien let out a short sigh at Victor’s words. He could imagine that Victor would still be angry about what happened to him at the Church.
It happened during the commotion, and the day after.
Church’s soldiers started walking around the city looking for someone.
“Does anyone know this man with the mask?”
“Has anyone heard the name Victor?”
The soldiers started asking people about the mask picture and the name Victor.
“Oh? Did you say Victor?”
The problem was that Victor reacted to what the soldiers said.
“My name is Victor.”
“… Your name is Victor?”
“Yes.”
“He looks like a country bumpkin. There’s no way this guy could be Victor.”
“It’s just that their names are similar. The name Victor is kind of common.”
“Damn it, where did Victor the Woodcutter disappear to?”
“Oh? How did you know my nickname is the Victor the Woodcutter?”
The soldiers’ eyes turned to Victor.
“Your nickname is Victor the Woodcutter?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Arrest him.”
“Oh, oh? W-why are you doing this all of a sudden!”
“You’re suspicious. Take him to the Church immediately.”
Victor’s face turned pale at the mention of the Inquisitor.
“N-now wait a minute! M-my lord! P-please spare my life!”
Fortunately, Damien stepped in and explained, and Victor was quickly released.
“S-sorry, Sir Damien!”
“They didn’t even know this man was your servant… I deserve to die!”
The soldiers were terrified as soon as they heard Damien’s name.
Damien said it was fine and tried to leave. But things didn’t go that smoothly.
“Wait a minute!”
“The paladins said they wanted to say hello to Lord Damien!”
“I’ll bring the paladins right away!”
As soon as the soldier ran off, the paladins came rushing in. Among them was Perpetuo.
“Sir Damien! Thank you so much for your help!”
“Thanks to you, we were able to find Hedoniac’s location!”
Damien had to listen to the paladins’ gratitude and praise for over half a day before he could finally get away.
“To mistake a kind person like me for such a heinous villain…”
Victor muttered as if he hated Damien. Damien felt a pang of guilt inside.
“Well, at least you’re safe and sound.”
“If it hadn’t been for my lord, I would have suffered terribly.”
It was true, and Damien nodded involuntarily.
“Victor the Woodcutter… I’ll never forget that name!”
“Y-yeah.”
Victor quietly burned with hatred. Damien patted Victor’s shoulder a few times.
***
Damien wandered off while his family was resting.
Unlike his family, Damien could not rest. There was still work to be done.
Damien headed towards the forest near Spring Castle. There, he sat down and gathered his thoughts.
‘What I feared has become a reality.’
On the surface, the recent battle was a success.
Not only did he subdue Hedoniac, but he also defeated a demon.
However, Damien was not satisfied with what he had experienced this time.
‘A demon… It was unexpected.’
Since his regression, Damien had always been worried about one thing: losing his family to unforeseen circumstances.
The reason for Damien’s concern was his past life experience.
In a past life, Damien met Dorugo by chance, went through a transformation into a Death Knight, killed his family, and unleashed apocalyptic destruction upon the world.
That’s why Damien always tried to be prepared for everything. He feared that his family could be in danger due to unforeseen events, just like in his previous life.
‘I really need to become a Master Class as soon as possible.’
Everything that happened was because Damien was weak.
The more he experienced these things, the more Damien felt a thirst. He was compelled to become stronger and more thorough than ever before.
On top of that, he couldn’t keep relying on dark magic. Not only was it a burden on his body, but he also had to be careful not to be discovered by others.
‘The problem is that it will take more than a few months at this rate.’
The human body was incredibly honest.
To train it, one had to invest a significant amount of time and effort. Unlike mana, there was no shortcut such as elixirs.
At best, thanks to the Art of Sacrificial Raging Demon Manifestation, Damien could train his body faster and stronger than others.
Even so, it would still take several months according to Damien’s calculations.
‘If I push the Art of Sacrificial Raging Demon Manifestation to the limit… No, it’s too dangerous a gamble.’
As a Middle Class, Damien had consumed an elixir and fought a High Class.
In the midst of the battle, he absorbed the elixir’s energy with the Art of Sacrificial Raging Demon Manifestation and ascended to the High Class.
Theoretically, it was possible to reach Master Class using the same method.
However, to reach Master Class, one had to consume legendary elixirs.
Consume such elixirs during a battle? It was no different from suicide.
It was a problem that no amount of thinking could solve. Damien stopped thinking and started training.
***
From then on, Damien devoted himself to his training every day.
With the Art of Sacrificial Raging Demon Manifestation, static training was rather ineffective.
Therefore, the method Damien chose was to summon undead and train against them.
“Alright, everyone, raise your weapons. If you even touch me, it’s your victory.”
As expected, the skeletons couldn’t even touch a hair on Damien’s head and were all shattered.
“What are you doing? Get back in formation.”
Damien kept reviving the skeletons as they were shattered.
As a result, the skeletons had their bodies shattered several times a day.
A few skeletons suggested other training methods, but it was no use.
“I’m happy I can train, and you’re happy to gain experience. Isn’t that a win-win?”
The skeletons were still better off compared to Dominico and Miya.
“Hey, at least you two aren’t dead.”
Damien said as he mercilessly beat two of them with his wooden sword.
Arms and legs flying off were commonplace. Even heads were lost.
Since they were already dead bodies, it didn’t hurt. The problem was that they had to endure this more than ten times a day.
Eventually, Dominico, unable to bear it any longer, spoke to Damien.
“M-my lord… c-can’t you give us a break?”
“A break? An undead talking about luxury? Shut up and get your swords ready.”
Of course, Damien was not swayed.
Damien had his own reasons for this. The potential of the two was outstanding.
He was pushing them to their limits in order to fully unlock their potential.
“Kyaaaa! Kgaa! Kyuuu!”
One day, Miya protested vehemently, asking why she was the only one being beaten and leaving Munchi alone.
“He’s a big boy, I’m letting him grow on his own.”
Usually, Munchi was just a playful wolf, but in the future, it would be called the Beast of Destruction, a monster that would bring about the end of the world.
In fact, even now, the Munchi was the strongest among the undead that Damien possessed.
In the recent battle, he had overwhelmingly defeated an Intermediate Fire spirit.
What the Munchi needed was not experience or training. He was naturally destined to become stronger over time.
“Alright, let’s start again.”
“Kyaaaaaa…”
One day, as Damien was engrossed in his training, a guest arrived at the Spring Castle.
“Sir Damien, it’s been a while.”
Liam Bluegreen.
One of only three High Class in the Kingdom of Apple, Liam Bluegreen had come to visit Damien.
“Sir Liam, what brings you here?”
Damien greeted him with a surprised expression.
Although Damien was far superior in terms of strength but Liam Bluegreen was a Marquess of the Kingdom of Apple.
Moreover, he was the only High Class in the Kingdom of Apple who was loyal to the royal family.
From the standpoint of the Count’s residence, he was a guest they could never neglect.
Therefore, Damien also treated Liam Bluegreen with respect.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“What is it?”
“Well…”
After hesitating for a while, Liam Bluegreen spoke to Damien.
“Have you ever considered going to the Empire?”
***