The Terminally Ill Young Master is the Mad Dog of the Underworld
Chapter 266

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]

Chapter 266: The Dark King's Executor

We finally arrived at Count Pergrin's territory.

"Wow, the scenery..."

We rode our horses along the Lindela River.

Following the river that stretched straight ahead but occasionally meandered was quite charming.

When we needed rest, we watered the horses and caught fish to grill thoroughly.

"After eating nothing but mountain beasts all the time, it's nice to have white fish meat."

"But compared to sea fish, it definitely lacks that rich umami flavor."

"Freshwater fish naturally taste inferior."

"Besides, Grunewald's seafood cuisine is the best in the kingdom."

"Ahem, eating it, I can taste some muddiness too."

So we had to throw in all sorts of spices to mask the distinctive fishy smell of freshwater fish.

"Taris, I didn't know you had such expertise in camp cooking."

Taris, who had somehow taken on the role of camp cook, smacked his lips as he replied.

"My mother is a gourmet. I picked up a lot from childhood. For instance, wine is good for removing odors..."

"Excellent. Family education is indeed important. Wine is truly a gift from God."

In that sense, there was someone making spoiled complaints as if he'd received the wrong family education.

"Hmm, isn't it a bit too salty? It's not evenly cooked either."

When Kaimak started nitpicking while chewing, Taris snorted.

"Then you cook and eat it yourself."

"Stop it. If that bastard cooks, he'll add weird mushrooms again and we'll die of food poisoning."

"That's... hmm. Not bad."

Feeling the wind blowing from the riverside, I threw fish bones into the campfire and muttered.

"We'll arrive tomorrow."

"Can we finally sleep in a house with a roof?"

"Right. Since we came as reinforcements from afar, it's proper to provide a sturdy roof and soft bedding."

"More than that, I'm dying to take a hot bath."

"Oh, you delicate fellows. What's this talk of baths for soldiers?"

I roughly scolded Jeffrey and turned to Rudgarda.

"6th Commander, shall we have a light spar to aid digestion?"

"Good."

When Rudgarda picked up her sword and stood, the guards formed a circle around us.

"Mana?"

"First round without it, second round with swordsmanship only."

"As usual. Confirmed."

Throughout our journey, we frequently sparred to check each other's martial skills. Sometimes Ghir, sometimes Drak, sometimes Jeffrey, and sometimes Rudgarda was the opponent.

"I'll yield the first strike."

When I acted arrogant, Rudgarda chuckled.

"Provocation is..."

"What, unnecessary?"

"Not that."

Rudgarda instantly closed the distance and charged, bringing down her sword honestly.

Clang!

I adjusted my wrist angle to parry the sword strike that changed trajectory just before collision.

Swish!

Rudgarda, having seized the initiative, pressed her attack, but I demonstrated fluid evasive movements using an improved version of the Scarlet Cloud Ghost Path.

'And if I thrust here...'

The offense and defense simply reversed. I pressed Rudgarda without any difficulty.

"Young master, your sword grows sharper by the day."

Rudgarda said after barely parrying an attack that applied Schelde and Huten's swordsmanship to the Azure Sea Moon Shadow Swordsmanship.

"This seems like swordsmanship used by underworld masters?"

"Correct."

"The interpretation has changed again from two weeks ago. A bit more deceptive, more cunning."

That was exactly right.

I continuously repeated the process of reinterpreting the swordsmanship of opponents I'd experienced and refining them into Allenvert-style swordsmanship.

And such processes are naturally difficult to complete easily.

"Hey, young master. Too many tricks aren't good either."

Ghir, who was watching us with arms crossed, said.

"Two or three well-honed techniques combined with psychological warfare are often much stronger than a hundred different skills."

"Yes, I know."

But after meeting Leszek, my thinking changed a bit.

'No matter what or how much you learn, everything eventually returns to the source.'

However, after meeting Lesheck, my perspective shifted slightly.

‘No matter what you master or how much, all paths eventually lead to the same destination.’

Even if the demands for Sword Orb, Sword Aura, Mind Sword, and Sword Control differ, I realized that through intense sword training, they are all ultimately stages one must pass through.

'Even a master of swift swords can sometimes shake an opponent's response by mixing in the subtleties of heavy swords, and even when going all-out on offense, there are times when appropriate defense is needed to induce openings in the opponent.

'Then there's no need to separately distinguish Grunewald's martial arts, Karzan's martial arts, and the martial arts of underworld men.'

And I was also convinced that learning complementary skills rather than digging deep into one thing, so that their sum total becomes higher, is by no means something to be dismissed as mere dabbling.

In the end...

'The realm where swinging as one pleases becomes the ultimate peak of swordsmanship.'

That might be the direction I should pursue. Is the expression too crude?

Swish!

Having combined the principles of the Golden Grasping technique with the soft arts of the Flowing Cloud Thunder Fist, plus a few tricks roughly acquired on battlefields to disarm Rudgarda's sword, I nodded.

"One more victory."

Beyond company commander level like Turnak and Harold, even battalion commander level like Ulbhild and Rudgarda now found it difficult to handle me.

* * *

Before meeting Count Pergrin and Kailan Webern, we first joined forces with Valkenhain's army.

"Young Lady, it's been a while."

Siena approached us leading dozens of cavalry.

"Have you been well?"

"As you can see."

Siena, who had dismounted, looked at me quietly.

"You seem to have trained diligently. Your aura appears different."

I nodded.

"Just between us, I actually surpassed Sister Ulbhild's skill recently."

"...?"

"She's even reached the early stages of the 7th tier. I'm telling you for reference."

Then irritation mixed into Siena's expression.

"That's slightly annoying."

Then Rudgarda quietly muttered.

"Quite right."

I pretended not to hear and turned my head.

"Well then. Get acquainted with each other."

While both sides' forces exchanged military courtesies, Siena looked at Ghir and Drak and asked.

"Young master, who are those two?"

"The new head of Svartalfar and his older brother."

"...?"

Siena blinked at the name of an unexpectedly important figure.

"I had some entanglement with them over underworld business before, so we've built trust with each other."

I put my arms around Ghir and Drak's shoulders, acting friendly.

"This time they're accompanying me after receiving a commission to kill Marquis Belorok."

"Ha, who made such a commission?"

Then Drak answered instead.

"Sorry, but the client's identity is confidential."

"Of course it would be."

I replied.

"Anyway, they're geniuses raised by a famous assassination family, so they'll be useful forces in various ways."

Siena nodded.

"That's true. There's nothing more foolish than conserving forces in war."

Quite right.

* * *

"War is a profitable business. Isn't that so?"

"Indeed it is."

Marquis Belorok interpreted the current situation, where Count Pergrin's son-in-law was attacking to reclaim his ancestral land, this way.

"A territorial war with justification, and we're in the defensive position. Moreover, the opponent is merely a count's family, isn't it?"

"Correct."

His eldest son and heir apparent answered.

"It's a fight we cannot lose and a business opportunity without risk."

For a long time, they had grown their territory and elevated their title from a thorough merchant's perspective.

Originally, when Marquis Belorok was Baron Belorok, hadn't that title essentially been bought with money?

"Those who mocked us as nouveau riche have knelt before the power of money and changed their gazes to respectful ones."

Marquis Belorok clearly remembered how the treatment he received in high society changed after swallowing Count Webern's territory in his youth.

"Because we seized control of the Lindela River's logistics, Baron Belorok finally became Marquis Belorok."

The marquis said.

"Rather than lose it now, it would be better to die."

Then the heir apparent answered.

"Lose everything or gain everything."

"Right. And this is a fight we cannot lose."

The marquis was an ambitious man and a person of power, who had long been absorbed in accumulating wealth using that power as a means.

"The money spent for this war far exceeds a year's budget."

"Thanks to that, we've hired several excellent mercenary companies and even hired assassins to prepare to strike at the enemy's carelessness."

"Moreover, we've hired all the underworld strongmen who were parasites in our duchy's nights, so this isn't a force that someone like Kailan can handle."

An army of moths drawn to the lamp of money was now fully ensconced in Belorok Castle.

"The atmosphere is somewhat unsettled."

"It's fine. The Four Heavenly Kings can sufficiently control such disturbances among the retainers."

The marquis showed great confidence in his vassals' power.

Moreover...

"Marquis, as you well know."

A man in black who rudely interrupted the father and son's conversation.

This man's existence was another reliable guarantee the marquis believed in.

"Even if a youngster like Kailan uses his head somewhat, he cannot possibly do anything to you. However, since Grunewald and Valkenhain have each sent heir candidates here, special caution is needed regarding them."

"Honestly, though they're troublesome, I don't think they'll be tremendously powerful forces."

Then the man in black became serious.

"Don't be careless, Marquis. Do you handle other businesses so carelessly, by feeling?"

"..."

How dare a mere underworld lackey scold a marquis?

Truly outrageous, but if the other party remained useful, the marquis's position was that he could humor them as much as needed.

"That's true. Especially since you've been frustrated by Grunewald several times."

At the subtle mockery, the man in black snorted.

"Because of those two bastards, Venion and Karzan. I confirmed Karzan won't come, but there's a high probability Venion will support Allenvert in some form."

The marquis nodded.

"I heard those two greenhorns are among the upper ranks of Ete Nistyrnur, but they surely can't compare to the Four Heavenly Kings."

"..."

"Since killing them would make enemies of two duchies, we should capture them alive and collect ransom."

"It would be tremendous profit."

The man in black looked with disdain at the two greedy father and son who still talked of ransom at this point and turned away.

'Ransom? Not a chance.'

A cold killing intent flickered at the corners of the consistently expressionless man in black's mouth.

'Allenvert and Siena must die here.'

Dukes would spend the rest of their life regretting the mistake of sending their children here.

...Because none other than the Dark King's executor had personally stepped forward.

* * *

"Wow, it's solid."

Count Pergrin's castle was truly a sturdy fortress resembling a fortress city.

"Lord Allenvert Grunewald, 4th Young Master, and Lady Siena Valkenhain, 1st Young Lady, are entering!"

We entered through the wide-open gates onto the main road. Then a group waited for us at the end of the straight path.

"...That's Kailan Webern."

My eyesight could already capture even the ant's antennae from far away.

Observing Kailan's appearance meticulously from a distance, I muttered.

"There are hardly any traces of martial arts training?"

"He's not particularly gifted in martial arts."

Siena replied to my comment.

He was slightly tall, with narrow shoulders giving a slender impression, but his eyes were quite sharp.

'He looks like he uses his head well.'

He was clearly the strategist type.

Moreover, judging by their standing positions, it seemed that rather than Count Pergrin, his son-in-law Kailan Webern was exercising the influence to command the entire group.

"Welcome, I'm pleased to meet the descendants of heroes."

Count Pergrin, dressed in formal wear with a somewhat plump build, said.

"Your Excellency, thank you for the warm welcome."

Siena first paid respects, and I added words as well.

"Then it would be better for the young people to discuss detailed matters among themselves."

The count smiled as if asking for understanding.

"My body is uncomfortable, making it difficult to sit for long periods."

"Ah, I see."

After the count left with assistance, Kailan, who had bowed to his father-in-law, said.

"Since we don't have much time, I'd like to unpack first and then get straight to business this evening. Would that be alright?"

I replied, guessing the intention behind those words.

"Let's do that. We didn't come here to have pleasant conversations during wartime."

[Translator - Pot ]

[Proofreader - Kawaii ]