Chapter 36

Preparations for the banquet proceeded swiftly.

Dozens of carriages lined up where monster corpses had been piled up until just recently.

Associates of neighboring families had flocked to the lord's castle.

All of them would stay at the Bastoni main castle and the neighboring estate for a week to enjoy the festivities.

On the first day of the banquet.

Killian was spending his time alone in a corner, observing the people gathered in the banquet hall.

Among all the faces he didn't remember, he could see Demian and Julian greeting the nobles with relaxed expressions.

Julian aside, Demian’s body must not be in good shape due to the reflux symptoms. Yet, he was chatting with the nobles with the same expression as always.

‘He’s a strange brother, the more I see him.’

From his martial prowess as a knight to his leadership as a commander and his political skill as a lord, he lacked nothing.

It was enough to make one wonder why the competition for the family head position hadn't concluded by now.

‘Well, it has nothing to do with me for now.’

Killian's goal was not the competition for the family headship.

He moistened his throat with Kadale Mountain wine and headed outside.

The wind was cold.

Leaning against the terrace, I looked out at the darkened mountain range.

The mountain range, which until recently had been drenched in the screams and blood of monsters, was now utterly silent.

‘The recovery of my Authorities… is it still too much to ask for?’

The numerous Authorities of the Gods that I used to imitate with Mana.

When I was reincarnated into Killian's body, raising Eurasia to the status of a kingdom was the top priority, but not anymore.

Edan's words, which appeared whenever my consciousness faded, echoed in my head.

[‘My enemy’ and ‘your enemy’ are not yet dead.]

[The Grotesquery will appear again soon.]

[This time, you will surely be able to break your true Curse.]

Killian shook his head at the series of incomprehensible words.

‘For now, worrying about the Superhumans the Empire possesses should be the priority.’

After the war between the princes on the continent is settled, the blade will be turned towards the frontier.

Before that, I had to recover my body and regain the level of a Superhuman as soon as possible.

“As soon as I return to the family estate, I'll have to see the Head Apothecary.”

She might have a way to shorten the recovery period.

It was while he was sipping his wine with such thoughts.

“So you were here.”

“……”

I turned around at the sudden voice.

A woman in a red dress with purple hair that came down to her shoulders stood there, a gentle smile on her face.

“I didn't know you liked to be alone.”

The woman lifted the hem of her dress and gave a light curtsy.

‘Was I too deep in thought?’

Just because my Mana Heart had taken a shock didn't mean my senses as a warrior had dulled.

Yet, for her to get this close without me noticing her presence…

“Did you use magic?”

Killian asked, scanning the woman's figure.

Judging by the frame revealed through her dress, she didn't seem to be someone who had trained with a sword.

“I hope I did not disturb the Young Master's contemplation.”

“There was nothing to disturb.”

In any case, I had to be stuck in the lord's castle for a week.

‘Training is also impossible with my body in this state.’

I was just wondering how to spend the time, as no suitable training method came to mind.

“To answer your question, I did use a faint level of magic, just as you thought. It's a magic called ‘Hermit's Footsteps’.”

Hermit's Footsteps was a 5-star magic that concealed one's presence.

‘She looks young, but she’s a 5-star mage?’

At most, she looked to be around Demian’s age.

If it was true, her talent was more than deserving of the title of a genius.

“Let me introduce myself formally. I am Sharle of the Cornelia Family.”

‘……!!’

Killian's eyes trembled slightly at the unexpected name.

If Eurasia was famous as a kingdom of knights in the past, Cornelia was a magic kingdom famous for possessing outstanding mages.

I had heard from Haman that the Cornelia had fallen to the status of a family and settled in the western frontier.

But to see their descendant with my own eyes was a different matter.

“Are you not going to accept my greeting?”

Sharle Cornelia asked with a bright smile.

“I am Killian Eurasia, the Fourth Young Master of Eurasia.

Though it seems you already knew.”

“Wow, you’re different from what I’ve heard.”

“What is?”

Sharle's eyes widened as she scanned Killian's body.

“I heard that the Fourth Young Master of Eurasia had no affinity with the sword.

But your current physique seems more than sufficient to be called a knight, overflowing even.”

“Rumors tend to be exaggerated.”

At the casual reply, Sharle placed a hand on her chin.

“Hmm, that's strange.

Another rumor said you had a Great Awakening and possessed martial prowess surpassing that of Young Master Demian… By any chance, did you injure your Mana Heart?”

“……”

Killian stared silently into Sharle’s eyes.

Unlike her gentle smile, her eyes were curved like a crescent moon.

It was a gaze that seemed to be asking a question to which she already knew the answer.

“How boring.”

Sharle’s lips twitched at the sudden change in tone.

“Sharle Cornelia, if you want to play, I recommend my brother Julian.

I think you two would be a good match.”

“Is this your true self?”

When Killian didn't reply and just sipped his wine, she continued speaking with a nonchalant expression.

“I apologize if that sounded offensive.

When I feel curious, I'm the type to act before I think.”

Sharle curtsied again, holding the hem of her dress as if to say she was sorry.

“I hadn't heard that the Cornelia would come all the way here.”

“How could we stand still when Eurasia, an allied family, has gone through such a big event?”

“An allied family…”

Eurasia of the east and Cornelia of the west.

The two nations, once the core of the Kingdom Alliance against the Empire, had been reduced to families and had settled in their respective frontiers.

Unlike Eurasia, where the succession of the Gye had been all but severed, Cornelia seemed to have safely inherited their family's secret magic, the Shik.

“If you wish to discuss the family's interests, it would be better to talk with my older brothers.

Though you don't seem naive enough not to know that.”

“My older brother went to Young Master Demian.

As for Young Master Julian… he seems a bit too drunk.”

“……”

Following her gaze, I saw Julian surrounded by people, laughing.

She meant he was drunk on the atmosphere, not on alcohol.

Soon after, I looked towards Demian, and the purple-haired man next to him was drawing everyone's attention.

“Seeing you enjoying the night's ambiance alone, it seems you have no desire to get drunk on the current banquet at all, Young Master.”

“Don't beat around the bush.”

“Ahaha.”

Sharle covered her mouth and laughed brightly.

“I may not match the Young Master's martial prowess, but I'm not so naive as to not recognize the true protagonist of the subjugation battle.”

Swoosh.

Purple Mana flickered in her eyes.

“The one who shattered the first Knight Slayer's body to pieces, and drove the second Knight Slayer to its death was…”

Bathed in the moonlight, Sharle took a step closer.

“Killian Eurasia. It was you, wasn't it?”

“No, it wasn't.”

“You're being mischievous.”

It was a smile filled with conviction.

‘How did a woman from the western frontier know that?’

Publicly, the ones who hunted the Knight Slayers were the three knight commanders and Escardo.

The three young masters, each leading a knight order and competing for the family headship, joined forces to carry out the subjugation, and in the end, they captured the Chimera created by the ruler of the mountain range.

That was surely how it was known to the world.

“You have a ‘How do you know?’ look on your face.”

‘I guess she didn't achieve 5-star at a young age for nothing.’

I met her eyes, which shimmered with Mana.

“Are you a little more willing to talk now?”

She knew how to flash a fresh smile that any man would fall for.

As proof, the gazes of several men were turning towards the terrace.

It was an unwelcome situation for Killian, who had wanted to spend his time quietly.

“If you're curious, I can tell you.

But there's a condition.”

Sharle raised a finger as if to arouse curiosity.

It was a gesture that seemed to tease the other person.

“……”

Seeing that strangely familiar gesture, a certain woman came to mind.

The Iron-Blooded Mage.

‘Diana Cornelia.’

The woman to whom Edan had entrusted his back in the war against the Empire, a woman who would surely have reached 9-star if given a little more time.

Naturally, the secret magic she used came to mind.

‘Clairvoyance.’

An 8-star magic that allowed one to see events happening a thousand li away as vividly as if they were happening right in front of them.

‘Diana had reached a state where she could predict the near future.’

Killian stared intently at Sharle’s face.

Just as he saw traces of Edan in Demian, seeing the traces of his old friend in her features stirred a strange feeling within him.

Killian downed the rest of his wine and listened to the rest of Sharle's story.

“After all, it's easier for the children to solve problems than for the family heads with heavy shoulders.”

“Problems?”

“Oh my. Don't tell me you don't know?”

Sharle tilted her head and stared at Killian.

She was trying to see if he was being sincere.

‘Is there some sort of secret correspondence going on?’

Since Killian had been treated as a non-entity by the family's knights and servants until recently, it was impossible for him to grasp the confidential discussions with other families.

“You truly are a curious person.

No, perhaps you might have been telling the truth.”

Killian gestured towards the banquet hall with his chin.

A few people who had identified Sharle were looking for the right moment to approach.

“It seems you watched the subjugation battle somehow with Clairvoyance.

But it seems too many eyes are on us to have a deep conversation.”

Sharle's smooth forehead twitched.

It was because he had casually mentioned a magic that only direct descendants or elders of the Cornelia Family should know.

“You have a ‘How do you know?’ look on your face.”

Killian returned the exact words Sharle had said to him.

“I don't know what words were exchanged between our families. But I'm not interested.”

He also drew a clear line.

It was a pleasure to meet the descendant of another old friend, but the urgent matter at hand was to heal his Mana Heart and stabilize his 7-star level.

‘Sharle Cornelia.

Thanks to you, a good training method came to mind.’

Just meeting her and remembering an old friend seemed to have revived forgotten memories.

‘I was so focused on my growth that I paid too little attention to the situation on the frontier.

I'll need to establish an information network when I get back.’

It wouldn't be difficult if I used Julian, who received support from the Sepia Merchant Guild.

“The proposal is rejected. However, I will visit Cornelia someday.”

At the sharp notice, Sharle’s lips twitched.

‘It wasn't Demian Eurasia after all.’

Killian Eurasia.

She was certain that the man before her was the sword that Simon Eurasia was hiding.

“My brother will surely be delighted by your visit as well, Young Master.”

Her gaze shifted to the purple-haired man talking with Demian.

“Young Master Killian, allow me to give you a gift to commemorate our first meeting.”

“A gift?”

“Yes. You could say it might be a gift for the head of Eurasia.”

Without losing her smile, she continued.

“An 8-star Mana Heart has one major side effect. To manage that side effect with a token of connection…”

“Are you planning to tell me the recipe for Heart Break Herba?”

“……!!”

Flustered, Sharle’s mouth hung open.

To think he knew not only about Clairvoyance but also the name of the secret medicine that managed Heart Break.

‘The Eurasia Family is, just what on earth…’

“I made a mistake, too.

It would be faster to discuss such things with brother Demian than brother Julian.”

“……”

It was when Sharle, having lost the initiative, couldn't figure out what to say.

“Well, look who it is.”

A strange man approached the terrace.

“You're Killian Eurasia, right?”

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