色五月丁香六月欧美综合

-----------------

Chapter 287: More Secrets (2)

***

After the time for the rehabilitation session ended, Damien summoned the undead in front of Veronica.

"Well, are you convinced now?"

"...You could have just shown me the undead from the beginning instead of hitting me!"

Veronica angrily rubbed the top of her head, her tone and expression filled with frustration. However, when Damien raised his club again, she quickly fell silent.

"...Since when were you a necromancer?"

"It's a long story. There's no need for you to know."

Veronica glared at Damien. She was clearly displeased with his answer.

"Does your family know?"

"No, they don't. So don't tell them."

Even if this secret were to come out, Damien's family wouldn't report him to the Church. But they would definitely be troubled by it, and Damien didn't want that.

"But if you're a necromancer, doesn't that mean you don't have to fight Pandemonium?"

"I only use dark magic; I'm not a necromancer."

Veronica frowned instantly.

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

"I've never killed anyone to use dark magic."

"But you still use dark magic, don't you? Doesn't that make you a necromancer?"

"If I were a necromancer, why would I have killed the members of Pandemonium?"

"Well, that's true, but..."

Veronica furrowed her brows, looking somewhat convinced but still uneasy.

"Anyway, that's not the important thing right now."

Veronica brushed off the fact that Damien practiced dark magic as if it were no big deal.

Damien was inwardly impressed by her straightforward attitude. He hadn't expected her to take it so lightly.

'Well, even in her past life, her thinking was quite different from others.'

In her past life, Veronica was a madwoman who rose to the Master Class because she loved killing so much. Despite the notoriety that spread across the continent, she had immediately rejected Dorugo's offer to join forces.

Was it because Dorugo was a necromancer? Because he was fighting against humanity? No, she hadn't refused for any noble reason.

- What? Destroy humanity? Then there won't be any humans left for me to kill!

She had refused Dorugo's proposal for that single reason. And then, she lost her life at Damien's hands.

"But it's kind of strange. Why should I fight against Pandemonium?"

Suddenly, Veronica's expression turned serious.

"I'm well aware of Pandemonium. It's the place where the most dangerous dark mages and dark knights in the world gather. And you want me to fight such dangerous force?"

She shook her head as if it were an absurd idea.

"Do you think I'm a fool? I'm not doing it, so find someone else."

Damien stared silently at Veronica, but this time she seemed determined not to change her stance.

"As I said, I have nothing to gain from this, so I have no intention of getting involved."

"...."

"But we've known each other for a long time, and... I've grown somewhat attached. If you meet one condition, I'll accept your offer."

Veronica pointed to the ground with her finger.

"Kneel and ask politely. Oh, and don't forget to call me 'Lady Veronica.'"

Damien looked down briefly before raising his gaze to meet hers. Veronica wore a smug expression.

"Ha..."

Damien sighed, covering his face with both hands. In contrast, Veronica's smile grew even wider.

"So, what will it be? If kneeling is too much, you can show respect in another way—"

"Are you out of your mind?"

Damien removed his hands from his face, revealing an expression twisted in anger.

"Why should I help you when you've been freeloading and wasting my family's food while I was away?"

The ground beneath Damien cracked ominously with a burst of killing intent. Veronica involuntarily hiccuped at the terrifying sight.

"W-wait... It was a joke! It was just a joke! I-I was going to help, of course!"

Veronica pleaded desperately, but the damage was done. Damien adjusted his grip on the club, making it easier to swing.

"W-what are you doing?! Put the club down! Don't come closer! I said don't come any closer!"

Damien raised the club high.

The sound of something breaking echoed until the full moon reached its highest point.

* * *

"I-I'll protect it! Even if it costs me my life, I'll protect your family!"

Only after Veronica said those words did Damien stop hitting her.

"I... I think I'm dying... ugh."

Veronica passed out immediately after being beaten. Damien pointed at her and looked over at Dominico.

"Dominico, did you hear that? From now on, she's on our side."

-....

Dominico stared at Damien with a bewildered expression. When no response came, Damien scowled.

"Do you have a problem with that?"

-Of course not.

"Good. Take this."

Damien tossed a small notebook to Dominico, who caught it with a confused expression.

-What's this?

"I made it for you. From now on, practice the techniques written in it."

Unlike normal dark knights, death knights didn't need to accumulate dark mana as they generated it naturally. However, they still needed to learn how to use it effectively.

Dominico glanced through a few pages of the notebook, his eyes widening in shock.

"...Did you really create this yourself, my lord?"

"Why? Is there a problem with it?"

"N-no, it's just that..."

Dominico couldn't finish his sentence.

Damien had taken the mana cultivation method Dominico practiced during his lifetime and refined it into a new one.

He had amplified its strengths and filled in all the gaps. What was even more astonishing was the latter part of the technique.

Damien had reinterpreted the principles of the cultivation method and developed new techniques that Dominico could never have imagined.

"...You're truly incredible, my lord."

Even though Dominico already knew Damien was a genius, he couldn't help but feel awe every time it hit him anew.

"Flattery won't get you anywhere... And this one is for the skeletons. This is a training schedule for Munchi and Miya."

Dominico carefully took all the notebooks Damien handed him. He knew he couldn't treat them lightly, understanding just how valuable the knowledge contained within them was.

"And give this one to her when she wakes up."

Damien handed over the last notebook, which contained advice and techniques for Veronica.

Dominico looked at the notebook with hesitation and he was internally conflicted. Could he really give such valuable information to her?

"My lord, may I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

"Do you really intend to trust that woman?"

Dominico spoke with a face full of unease. Unlike Dominico, Veronica wasn't bound by any master-servant relationship, and she had no reason to fight against Pandemonium.

"I trust her." Damien replied without hesitation.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not trusting her because of her words."

He knew that a promise extracted through force wouldn't last long. Damien had another reason for trusting Veronica.

"She has really 2 brain cells, but she's not one to break a promise. And..."

Damien thought of his mother and Veronica, recalling a face akin to that of a pouting child. Today was the first time he had seen Veronica make such an expression.

"What other reason is there?"

"It's nothing." Damien said, shaking his head.

"I'll leave a potion here. Push her to the brink of death if you have to. By the time I return, make sure she's reached the Master Class."

Damien believed in Veronica's potential. She had become a Master because she enjoyed killing people a lot. If given the right trigger in this life, she could reach the Master Class again.

"My lord, you don't mean to say you're leaving, do you?"

"Yes, I'm leaving right away."

In the current situation, where he couldn't predict Dorugo's next move, he couldn't afford to waste any time.

Damien needed to head to Alfheim as quickly as possible to thwart Dorugo's plans.

"Leaving now? Shouldn't you at least say goodbye to your family?"

Dominico suggested cautiously. Having spent considerable time with Damien, he knew how much his lord cherished his family.

"...No, it's better this way. If I do, I'll just want to stay longer."

Damien replied, shaking his head. There was no time for sentimentality; he could indulge in such moments after Dorugo was dealt with.

"Dominico, I trust you. Coordinate with Kilo and protect the castle."

With those words, Damien left Spring castle.

* * *

Damien headed straight for Alfheim. When people think of elves, they often picture forests, and indeed, Alfheim was located within a forest surrounded by ancient trees over a thousand years old.

However, instead of heading towards a mountainous forest, Damien made his way to a port.

'Alfheim is situated on a large island.'

The reason people had been unable to find Alfheim for so long was simple: it was a nation built on a massive island.

In fact, it was questionable whether 'island' was an appropriate term, as its area was far larger than that of the Apple Kingdom.

'The problem is locating the island...'

During his time as a death knight, Damien had invaded Alfheim under Dorugo's orders, so he knew its approximate location. However, he didn't have the exact coordinates.

'I might have to search the entire surrounding sea...'

As Damien stood by the dock, deep in thought, a voice interrupted him.

"You're quite an intriguing person."

He turned to see a small woman with long and pointed ears. Damien was visibly taken aback.

"An elf?"

The existence of elves was a closely guarded secret. Seeing one standing openly at the harbor was shocking.

"How did an elf end up here...?"

"I'm just as surprised as you."

Elf replied, glancing at the back of Damien's hand.

"I never thought I'd actually meet someone who has traveled back in time."

***