I Am Not The Duke's Evil Son
Chapter 49: Precious Magical Components

Chapter 49: Precious Magical Components

After their return, they had heard what Arthur did to the Baronet. They also learned he had used Wood Magic. Instinctively, they linked him to the masked figure who had once saved them. Though they couldn’t confirm the connection, that sliver of suspicion alone was enough to make them wary. The impression left by the masked man had been far from ordinary.

Arthur stared at them, studying their faces for a moment. He was certain they suspected something—but he didn’t really care. He simply pointed to the tree and said,

"Each of you grab a shovel and an axe. I want you to dig around the tree and uproot it entirely. You have four hours."

At first, Chadwick thought he was about to be punished for their failure in the bandit extermination mission. But upon hearing the command, he exhaled in relief. Uprooting a tree, even a large one, wasn’t difficult.

With high morale, both of them took up the tools and began digging. The other recruits took up scattered positions around the area, keeping watch for beasts to avoid being ambushed.

Arthur remained standing in place for a moment, then calmly picked up a shovel and walked toward the spot where he had buried the skeleton. His actions were strange and immediately drew everyone’s attention.

They watched curiously as he approached a seemingly empty patch amid the thorny bushes, and unexpectedly began digging.

Arthur ignored them. He wanted to recover the skeleton himself to properly pay respects to his savior, whoever she may have been. Thanks to his strength as a Boundless Level E, he dug easily, and within minutes, the familiar bones emerged. Calmly, he lifted the remains from the earth.

When his followers saw him pulling out a bundle of human bones, they reacted with mixed expressions—some shocked, others suspicious, like Chadwick. As for Otieno, he was a special case: he silently praised his lord and saw him as a generous soul who helped even the dead.

After retrieving all the skeletal parts, Arthur carefully examined the pit for personal belongings. As he had expected, he found several deteriorated items, part of a leather pouch, a few grimy silver coins beneath it, and the remnants of shattered glass, likely from a small vial. Considering the girl once carried a powerful magical artifact, he suspected the vial had once contained a magical potion. There was nothing of real value, but he didn’t care.

He buried the pit again, gently gathered the remains into a linen bag, and included whatever was left of the girl’s belongings.

’I don’t know who you are, but thank you. I hope your soul rests in peace.’

Arthur offered the remains his sincere respect, then placed the bag in an empty spot to take it back with him later.

When he looked up, he found all his followers watching him curiously. He snapped in annoyance:

"Get back to work, you bastards! You, Chadwick—especially you! That tree’s not going to dig itself up."

"My apologies, my lord!" Chadwick quickly resumed digging. Thanks to his strength, the task was easy, and he expected they’d finish within an hour.

"Ah!" Suddenly, a low groan came from Archie. Chadwick turned and saw his comrade digging not far away, caught in a strange sight—three small roots, covered in thorns, had wrapped tightly around Archie’s leg.

"What the hell are you doing?" Chadwick asked in confusion.

"I didn’t do anything! The tree attacked me!" Archie replied in shock.

"It attacked you? Are you joking?" he said, frowning in clear annoyance.

But Archie insisted, "I swear it attacked me! I accidentally struck the trunk with the axe, and roots suddenly lashed out and grabbed my leg!"

"Really..."

Because of the life-or-death experiences they had shared, Chadwick knew instantly that Archie wasn’t lying.

He quickly dug at the earth in front of him and exposed one of the tree roots. Without hesitation, he hacked at it with his axe—nothing happened. He struck again, puncturing another part of the same root. A large hole opened, leaking a clear liquid resembling water.

Chadwick grew irritated and thought Archie might be making things up. He looked up sharply.

"You damn fool, quit messing around and get back to work!"

Chadwick was weighed down by many thoughts and wasn’t in the mood for jokes. Everything around him was changing, and so was his own mindset. Before Arthur’s arrival, he had been among the most respected in the barony. No one dared mock him.

But now everything had shifted. The events of the past days made him feel powerless. He could no longer stand tall and proud. Especially after learning what Arthur was truly capable of, he no longer saw him as an arrogant young noble with some knowledge, but as a decisive and powerful leader who had been manipulating them all along.

They were just stray thoughts—but they had kept him awake the past two nights.

He sighed.

In the middle of his musings, something suddenly yanked him hard by the leg. Before he could process what had happened, he was pulled down face-first into the dirt. His face scraped along the ground as he was dragged roughly through the soil. Anger boiled within him.

Gritting his teeth, he gripped the ground and anchored himself in place. He turned quickly to see what had seized him, but before he could identify it, Archie arrived and tore the roots off his leg with his bare hands.

Finally free, Chadwick exhaled in relief, but his shock hadn’t faded. He stared at the roots in disbelief, then muttered,

"You really weren’t lying."

The commotion drew the attention of everyone nearby, many of whom rushed over to see what happened. But before they could get any answers, Arthur stepped in and scolded them.

"Return to your posts!"

"And you two," he pointed at Archie and Chadwick.

"Didn’t I say to uproot the tree? That means don’t touch the damn roots. Do I need to spell everything out for you? You.. "

His voice caught in his throat. His eyes widened as they landed on the root Chadwick had cut earlier—specifically, the clear liquid leaking from it.

[Diluted Mana Fluid: A rare magical substance used in potion crafting. When consumed directly, it heals certain illnesses and increases mana reserves for mages.]

[Enchanted Wooden Root: A magical wooden component used to craft tools and potions.]

[Heartwood Core: A magical element that can be consumed directly.]