Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Since the fall of the Raphel family, the city of Langa had been revitalized with an energy it hadn't felt in a long time.

With the drug distributors gone, addicts either naturally left the city or slowly began to recover.

The casinos Raphel once operated remained, but the violence, blades, and fraud that used to run rampant were overturned; they were now improved to operate within reasonable betting limits.

Furthermore, in the case of moneylending, things were changed so that only the interest rates set by the Empire were accepted.

Thanks to this, voices praising the Runei family grew louder throughout Langa.

"The elders who remember Runei’s past glory say that things have finally returned to normal."

"I suppose so. Langa used to be a very good place to live."

It had been a long time.

Adding the years before he became the head of the family and the years after, decades had passed.

During that time, Runei had collapsed, and Langa had become a lawless land.

But then Mitchel appeared, and everything returned to normal.

He was just a young man barely twenty years old; and if one were to ask if his realm was high, that wasn't the case either.

He was just a 3rd-class Aura User.

'Of course, he’s strong enough that it's hard to believe he's only 3rd-class...'

It was thanks to such a Mitchel that Langa became normal again.

"How are the city hall officials?"

"They’ve been quiet so far."

"Keep them under surveillance, just in case."

While Raphel was running wild, the officials hadn't committed evil acts alongside him.

They had merely stood by and watched.

That wasn't right, but their influence was too weak to petition the Imperial Palace.

However, if they were to pressure Runei to stop Langa's normalization, that would be a different story.

Kayden was preparing in advance for that moment.

"They aren't fools, which is why they didn't get directly involved with Raphel. So for now, they'll likely stay quiet, even if they're disappointed they aren't receiving bribes anymore. There's no need to stir up trouble, so don't monitor them too blatantly. Above all, be careful that information regarding Mitchel doesn't leak out."

"Why the benefactor...?"

"That boy, Mitchel, is too extraordinary. If he had power of his own, it might be different, but he doesn't have the strength to protect himself yet, does he?"

"Ah..."

"We must make sure no pests swarm around Mitchel."

"I understand. I’ll keep that in mind as well."

Kayden nodded and waited for the next report.

Edric then pulled a document from his coat and placed it on the desk.

"A report on the Wilson family has arrived."

"Oho!"

Brightening up, Kayden quickly picked up the paper and unfolded it.

His eyes began to scan the contents rapidly.

Once he set the paper down, Edric finally spoke.

"Wilson was a family from the fallen Principality of Arbelon."

The Principality of Arbelon was a small principality that used to be located between the Carseon Empire and the Holy Empire.

However, despite its size, its history was quite deep.

The leaders of the Arbelon Principality were called 'Knight Kings' from generation to generation.

As the leader's title suggests, Arbelon was a place that worshipped chivalry, and knights were the ruling class.

At the same time, because the standard of knights was very high, the country possessed strong military power relative to its size.

Thanks to that, it had maintained its form as an independent principality for a long time; and because of that background, the one with the strongest military power among the bloodline of the Prince became the Knight King.

And supporting such a Knight King and the principality were eleven families, known as the 'Eleven Generals of Arbelon.'

"Hmm... the Wilson family was one of the Eleven Generals of Arbelon?"

"Yes. It is said that when the Holy Empire invaded the principality, the Wilson family did not submit to them, unlike the other ten families. They supported the Knight King until the end and fled into exile, after which their traces were lost. Although their subsequent whereabouts are unknown, since the Holy Empire pursued them, they likely..."

"I see... anyway, now I know where Mitchel's talent comes from. I guess blood really doesn't lie."

The Knight Kings and the Eleven General families of Arbelon all possessed extraordinary talent for swordsmanship.

If Mitchel's words were true, they had to make him a member of the family somehow.

It was an opportunity to repay the debt for saving the family from crisis while also bringing a child whose talent wasn't just overflowing but pouring like a waterfall into their fold.

'I can't verify if it's true, but it doesn't matter.'

He hadn't personally seen the talent for the sword.

Moreover, what mattered most now was whether a story could be created or not.

A story that could raise their voices during the family meeting.

"I understand. Good work. Let me know if any other information comes in."

"Yes, sir."

Just as Edric was about to leave the office, Kayden called out to him.

"What happened to Raphel's remnants?"

"Since even Barque is dead, they’ve all scattered. Most of them seem to have left the North."

"Is that so? Then the immediate crisis is averted. Tell Grant that he may go now."

Since they were going to be brothers, the closer they got, the better.

Although the family meeting hadn't even started yet, a new son was already occupying Kayden’s mind.

"I’m finally here!"

Immediately after Kayden gave his permission, Grant rode a single horse straight toward the Demonic Realm.

After riding for several days without rest, the massive stone wall he saw in the distance grew larger and larger until he finally reached the entrance of the Demonic Realm.

'So this is Grimwall. I wonder where Mitchel is.'

In times like this, the best places to get information were usually similar.

Heading straight for an inn, Grant ordered food and asked a question, to which the owner pondered for a moment before speaking.

"Someone asked something similar a few days ago... is the person you're looking for about your age and has black hair?"

"Yes, that's right!"

"If so, you should go ask that large man sitting over there. He must have given the young man a map to enter the Demonic Realm."

"Thank you. Please wrap up the food. I think I’ll be heading in right away too."

Standing up, Grant immediately approached the hunter and asked about Mitchel and the map.

The hunter nodded vigorously as if he obviously remembered.

Then, he pulled a map from his coat.

"It's 1 gold."

Grant frowned deeply at the price, which was higher than he expected.

However, since the contents of the map were quite good and Mitchel had bought it at that price, he handed over 1 gold without a word.

"Here."

"Hehe, I’m glad I made a spare in advance. I take it you're looking for that young man? Good luck."

Nodding curtly, Grant grabbed the packed food and walked out of the inn.

Without looking back, Grant ran toward the Demonic Realm.

Only one thought occupied his mind.

'Mitchel, I can't let that brat be the only one growing!'

As the one who would soon become the older brother, shouldn't he set an example?

No matter how much of a genius Mitchel was, there was still a significant difference in their realms.

He had to run diligently from now on so he wouldn't be caught.

"Wait for me, Mitchel! I’m coming!"

Meanwhile, watching Grant’s receding back, the hunter scratched the back of his head.

"I was going to tell him a good place to set up camp at the entrance..."

That way, he could find the friend he was looking for.

"Well, if he can't find it, he'll just come back out."

Turning back around, the hunter gulped down his beer.

It had been a month since entering the Demonic Realm.

During that time, Mitchel had been spending very monotonous days.

Upon waking, he first circulated the Sky-Piercing Heart Law and had breakfast.

After that, he continued hunting until the sun went down.

Once he finished dinner, he repeated training the Sky-Piercing Flash and Sky-Piercing Vibration.

Thanks to this, he had now significantly increased the success rate of the Sky-Piercing Vibration.

"Haat!"

Mitchel thrust his sword into the ground while looking at an approaching pack of Red-Eyed Rabbits.

The energy gathered at the tip of the blade spread out in waves. Soon, shockwaves radiated out, shaking the ground.

Rumble—

Kieeeeeek!

Caught in the vibration, the Red-Eyed Rabbits lost their balance and froze in place. But that wasn't the end.

Thanks to the power of the Sky-Piercing Heart Law, they suffered a soul-shaking shock and were frozen to the spot.

Mitchel immediately rushed in and unleashed the Sky-Piercing Flash.

Energy gathered in his blade.

Unlike before, Mitchel’s Sky-Piercing Flash had decreased in size but felt much more solid.

This was because he had put much more effort into compressing it.

Wooo—

In terms of difficulty alone, it was twice as hard as simply pouring out energy recklessly.

He had no choice since he had to move while maintaining the sword-light compressed to its limit.

But thanks to that, except for when he first compressed the sword-light, there was almost no consumption of Dark Aura.

Checking the formed Sky-Piercing Flash, Mitchel lunged toward the Red-Eyed Rabbits.

Only when he got close did the rabbits regain their senses and try to counterattack.

However, hunting creatures whose movements were already slowed by the shock was easy.

Squelch—

After repeatedly cutting down the Red-Eyed Rabbits, the battle soon came to an end.

Mitchel looked at the dozen or so rabbits lying on the ground.

Then, a laugh escaped him involuntarily.

"Hehehe."

Only a month ago, he would have run away after hunting just one.

But now, he had the luxury of standing like this even after facing a dozen at once.

"Man, I wonder if I’m growing too fast."

[Stop talking nonsense.]

"Aren't you being too stingy with a disciple who has made great achievements?"

[You've only mastered the martial arts; your realm hasn't increased. Rather, you should think of it as you finally being able to properly use what you already had.]

Mitchel nodded at Kahlian’s words.

However, the smile on his face didn't disappear.

The new martial arts and the effects of their combination were simply too outstanding.

Mitchel gave a bright smile and a thumbs up.

"Master, you’re absolutely right. And I’m all the more grateful for it."

[Hoho, this kid. Do you think I’ll praise you just because you’re suddenly flattering me?]

He said that, but Kahlian’s voice was bright.

Although the realm hadn't increased, Mitchel was indeed rapidly absorbing Kahlian’s teachings.

As his master, Kahlian couldn't help but feel good.

"Forget the praise, could you teach me another new martial art? I’ve already fully digested what I’ve learned so far."

[Don't even think about it. It’s impossible with your current skill. I’ll consider teaching you once you reach the 4th-class.]

"Hmm..."

A dejected sound came from Mitchel.

Although he was diligently converting the souls of the Red-Eyed Rabbits into Dark Aura, the wall of the 4th-class was high.

This was because the final hurdle to surpass the realm remained.

'When will I reach the 4th-class... even the Dark Aura won't accumulate anymore.'

In addition to taking the elixir last time, Mitchel’s body had reached its limit due to the Dark Aura grown from the souls of the Red-Eyed Rabbits until now.

As a result, even when he decomposed souls and practiced meditative breathing, the Dark Aura wasn't absorbed and instead leaked right out of his body.

'I heard that once the Dark Aura is full, I need enlightenment...'

Just like at the Raphel family, he was feeling a certain itching sensation even now.

The problem was that the feeling hadn't progressed from the moment his Dark Aura was full until now.

Mitchel pondered what the problem could be, but no matter how much he thought, no clear solution came to mind.

In times like this, he naturally had to seek his master's help.

Mitchel subtly asked Kahlian about his problem.

[You’re finally asking.]

"Oh! Is there a way to gain enlightenment?"

[There isn't. Enlightenment regarding martial arts is not something someone else can give you.]

'What... you spoke as if there was one.'

As Mitchel let out a sigh of disappointment, Kahlian chuckled and continued.

[Heh, but since your realm is shallow, I can offer some help. I will show you my path, so you’ll have to see for yourself what lies at the end of it.]

"You could have told me that sooner if you were able to..."

[You didn't ask. I watched because it was quite admirable to see you agonizing alone, acting all high and mighty even though your master is right by your side.]

"..."

Mitchel shook his head at his master's strangely eccentric personality.

But what could he do? He was the disciple of such a master.

Mitchel decided to let it go.

"So, what is that path?"

[From now on, stop hunting Red-Eyed Rabbits and try hunting other demonic beasts. And make them as diverse a variety of monsters as possible.]

He didn't know what he would gain through that, but regardless, a new path had opened.

That alone significantly relieved Mitchel’s frustration.

"I’ll have some lunch first before moving... Huh?"

Arriving at the camp, Mitchel stopped mid-sentence.

The tent and campfire that were supposed to welcome him back were in disarray.

Furthermore, most of the Red-Eyed Rabbit meat he had smoked to eat for a long time had disappeared.

It was clear that something had raided the camp.

Mitchel quickly drew his sword.