Royal Road
Chapter 217
Chapter 217
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]
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Chapter 217: Memory (2)
***
Damien returned to the mansion with his companions.
The group was silent until they arrived at the mansion. But as soon as they entered, it became chaotic.
“Brother! What on earth was that technique you used earlier?”
“Whoosh! Her arm flew off when you swung your sword! What was that? How did you do it?”
“Please, teach me too! How did you dodge those quick swords?”
The three of them grabbed Damien and showered him with questions. Damien put on a tired expression.
After all, he knew that explaining it to these guys, who weren’t even in a masterclass, would be pointless.
“Oh, come on! Think about it. This isn’t the time to be asking such questions.”
Fortunately, Rachel regained her composure quickly. As expected of the future Sword Empress, her judgment was quick…
“You were invited by His Majesty! What are you going to wear? Do you know all the imperial etiquette?”
“That’s right, brother! It’s an invitation from the emperor, so we can’t prepare hastily!”
“Emperor? Is that that important?”
Everyone’s attention focused on Veronica’s question. Veronica looked flustered.
“Why? What? Did I say something strange?”
“Of course! It’s an invitation from the emperor!”
“……Even if you’re a knight of the Apple Kingdom, it’s really shocking to ask such a question.”
Rachel sighed and shook her head.
“Many people are invited to the imperial palace. But Sir Damien was invited ‘directly’ by His Majesty. In this case, there is an unwritten rule.”
“What’s that?”
“You can receive one gift from His Majesty.”
Rachel’s expression was dreamy and hazy.
“And it’s not just any ordinary gift. You can receive one of the empire’s treasures. Of course, It will return to empire after your death.”
The empire was not only the oldest but also the most powerful force on the continent.
The empire’s treasures were of incalculable value.
“Sir Damien has done a great service, so he may be able to ask His Majesty for a gift. What are you thinking of getting? An elixir? A weapon?”
Rachel asked with sparkling eyes. Her eyes were filled with anticipation.
“I haven’t thought about it yet.”
“Then that’s not good! It’s an opportunity that may only come once in a lifetime! Start thinking about it now!”
Rachel didn’t let Damien go easily. Damien put on an annoyed expression.
‘A gift…’
After a long thought, something came to Damien’s mind.
‘Come to think of it, I heard there’s a demonic armor in the imperial warehouse.’
Demonic armor was like a demonic sword made into armor.
It was made by demons and had unique abilities.
If it were an ordinary demonic armor, Damien would not have been particularly interested.
However, the demonic armor in the imperial warehouse was a little different.
Hemaera.
It was the armor that Damien used during his time as a Death Knight.
***
Inside a vast cave, Dorugo was dissecting the corpse of a monster. The sound of his knife cutting through flesh echoed incessantly.
“Hmph hmph.”
He was humming a tune, seemingly in high spirits.
“Yes, yes. Now I understand. This is how it was structured. Why didn’t I realize something so simple?”
Lately, Dorugo had been enjoying a period of immense happiness.
His research, which had been stagnant for so long, had finally begun to progress smoothly.
It was as if a god had taken up residence in his head, constantly inspiring him.
“Ah, this is life.”
Just as Dorugo was reveling in his joy, a man entered the cave. The man spoke to Dorugo with an urgent expression.
“Lord Dorugo, the death of Everis has been confirmed.”
At those words, Dorugo’s body froze. He put down his knife and forceps and turned to the man.
“That girl? She died so quickly?”
Everis was an experimental subject he had created with great effort. The Eye of Night she possessed was a testament to that.
An eye that allowed her to see mana.
With this alone, there were not many knights who could match Everis. No matter what technique they used, Everis would be able to read it.
And that wasn’t all.
She had artificial muscle implants and her nerves had been greatly enhanced with special drugs.
Thanks to this, Everis had gained a body optimized for quick swordsmanship. Her speed and power with the quick sword must have doubled compared to before.
“I thought she would last at least a few days. I guess the new talent that appeared in the empire is much stronger than I expected?”
Despite the experimental subject’s untimely demise, Dorugo didn’t seem particularly sorry.
Everis wouldn’t have lived long anyway due to the side effects of the excessive modifications.
He had sent her to the empire to gather as much real-world data as possible before she died.
“As expected of the empire. Monsters appear whenever they get bored, I hear.”
“She wasn’t killed by a talent of the empire. She was killed by Damien Haksen, the one I mentioned before.”
Dorugo’s expression turned blank for a moment at the man’s words.
“…Damien Haksen? Didn’t that guy just become a Master Class? How on earth did he kill Everis?”
“According to those who were planted at the scene… Everis swung her quick sword dozens of times, but she couldn’t even touch the hem of his clothes.”
Dorugo’s mouth fell open at the man’s report.
“…She couldn’t even touch him?”
“Yes… And then, after her arm was cut off by him and she was attacked in the head and died.”
Dorugo’s expression remained blank for a moment.
“…That’s interesting.”
A smile soon spread across Dorugo’s lips.
“I had a feeling when I heard about him a few days ago, but he’s a really interesting guy.”
Having lived for a long time, Dorugo had met countless geniuses.
Among the geniuses he had seen in the past 100 years, the best was the Imperial Supreme Sword.
That madman had risen to the top of the power with his overwhelming talent and was currently considered the strongest human being.
However, even the anecdotes of the Imperial Supreme Sword were nothing compared to Damien Haksen.
“This won’t do. I can’t contain my excitement. I have to see this guy named Damien Haksen for myself.”
Dorugo’s eyes gleamed dangerously.
“Perhaps I’ve found someone who can fulfill my long-cherished desire.”
The destruction of the empire.
Dorugo had been clinging to this goal for over a thousand years.
However, the empire was so powerful that even after a thousand years of preparation, he could not see any way to bring it down.
If Damien was the genius Dorugo desired, a genius who had transcended limits.
Perhaps he could finally achieve his long-cherished goal of destroying the empire.
“Go and convey my words to the giant evils.”
The man fell to his knees at Dorugo’s command.
“Capture Damien Haksen and bring him before me. If you succeed, I will grant you anything you desire.”
[PR/N- Bro wants death to be delivered to his doorstep.]
***
Dorugo’s command was swiftly relayed to the giant evils. Upon hearing it, they couldn’t help but grow wildly excited.
Dorugo was a figure revered as the master of all dark mages.
He possessed a vast amount of knowledge. Moreover, Dorugo’s secret vault was filled with all sorts of treasures.
However, not all giant evils were inclined to offer Damien to Dorugo.
“Oh, this is going to be troublesome.”
Sla lamented as she listened to her subordinate’s report.
“If this is the case, all the giant evils will try to get their hands on Damien Haksen.”
Unlike the other giant evils, Sla had seen Damien with her own two eyes.
That’s why she knew all too well how extraordinary a genius Damien was.
“It’s been barely a while since we parted ways, and yet he’s already in a Master Class… Even breaking his experimental subjects…”
Sla let out a sigh and fell into deep thought.
Dorugo’s orders took precedence over anything else. If he demanded their lives, they would willingly offer them.
But this was a different story.
Throughout her existence, Sla had never once let go of a man she desired.
It didn’t matter if he had a lover, a family, or was even the beloved of another Giant evil.
None of that mattered. If she wanted him, she had to have him. That desire was precisely the driving force that had allowed Sla to reach her current position.
After much deliberation, Sla came to a conclusion.
“His orders are important too, but… I can’t hand that boy over to someone else.”
Sla decided something and ordered her subordinates.
“Go and inform the other giant evils. Tell them that I intend to offer Damien Haksen to ‘him’, so no one is to touch him.”
Of course, Sla had no intention of actually bringing Damien to Dorugo.
It was simply a pretext to suppress her rivals.
“And if anyone dares to ignore my words and approach Damien Haksen…”
Sla’s eyes gleamed coldly.
“Tell them they’ll have to risk their lives.”
***
“What nonsense is this!”
Weapon Master slammed his fist against the wall.
“He wants Damien Haksen? And the other giant evils are all going to make a move?”
“S, Sir… Please calm down…”
“Would you be calm if you were me? The humiliation I suffered at that bastard’s hands!”
Weapon Master gritted his teeth fiercely.
He was a figure that was feared by all, and he had just lost to a rookie who barely reached Master Class.
Of course, he wasn’t in his prime condition. He could only unleash 50% of his true power.
But that didn’t diminish the humiliation Weapon Master had endured.
“That can’t be… He’s mine. Only I can kill him.”
Weapon Master growled.
He thought of the demonic sword that Damien possessed.
The durability that withstood a blow from the aurablade without a scratch, and the power to erase things from existence.
Just imagining it made his blood boil. He had to get his hands on that sword.
“…Inform the other giant evils. Tell them that Damien Haksen is mine to offer to ‘him’, so they shouldn’t even lay a finger on him.”
Of course, Weapon Master had no intention of actually giving Damien to Dorugo.
Not only would that prevent him from avenging his humiliation, but it would also expose the existence of the demonic sword.
“And if they ignore my warning… Tell them I’ll kill that bastard myself first!”
***
[Translator – Kie]
[Proofreader – Kawaii]