Chapter 3: The Young Master in Chains?

“Hmm.”

The merchant, Rick, frowned as he examined the damaged gnoll hides and other animal pelts.

Seeing his displeased expression, the leather merchant who had been watching him closely clicked his tongue.

“You won't find better leather than this here in the Drasen territory.”

“……Is that so.”

At Rick's distinctly disappointed tone, the leather merchant's expression soured slightly once more.

“Of course! It's not the monster wave season, you think it's easy to find quality leather!?”

“Hmm. Perhaps there might be some good leather in the inner castle, though?”

“Hey, you! What kind of outsider tries to start trading directly with the lord's family?”

“Still, if this quality is the best, then it's a disappointment……”

“Ahem, really! If you don't want to buy, then don't! Geez, so unlucky, right in the middle of the day……”

Sighing at the back of the grumbling, turning leather merchant, Rick glanced towards the inner castle to the south.

The inner castle of this small fortress, which was closer to a military fort than a castle.

A place known to be inhabited only by the lord's family and their vassals.

Just as he was gazing in that direction with a peculiar look in his eyes, a sudden commotion arose from the not-so-distant North Gate.

“Out of the way! Make way!!”

A group of soldiers burst noisily through the North Gate of the Drasen territory.

On a horse-drawn cart lay a black-haired young man wearing black shackles and chains.

At a glance, he had the appearance of a slave, but the attitude of the soldiers escorting the cart was as if they were protecting someone precious.

‘Oho?’

The moment Rick's eyes lit up.

A woman who was heading towards the inner castle with a load on her head cried out in surprise.

“Oh my goodness!?

Those chains! The grand prince!?”

At those words, Rick's gaze immediately shifted.

grand prince, chains. Two words that seemed to have no connection whatsoever.

“grand prince? Isn't he a slave?”

“No, what non……”

Startled by the voice that had casually inserted itself, the woman took a step back, then looked the simple-faced Rick up and down before clicking her tongue.

“……Ah, you're an outsider.

Then of course you wouldn't know.

That person is the grand prince of this territory.

He's famous among us territory residents too.”

“Pardon? He's wearing…… chains?”

“Hey! Don't speak of what you don't know.

Our grand prince hunts monsters with those chains!

He goes on monster subjugations more often than the knights, so all of us territory residents know!”

At those words, Rick's eyes lit up once again.

“Hoh. A nobleman who wears chains and uses them as a weapon, how fascinating. For a nobleman who values decorum……”

“Ah. That, it's probably because our grand prince's origins are a little different.”

“Origins?”

“Umm, this is a bit difficult to tell an outsider……”

As the woman, who seemed to work in the inner castle, trailed off, Rick subtly slipped a shining silver coin into her hand.

At that, the woman's eyes widened slightly.

“This is too much……”

“Ah, it's just that I can't stand being curious.”

The woman nodded at the added words, then approached him and whispered as if telling a secret.

“Actually, this is a story only those in the know are aware of, but they say the Lord brought him back 10 years ago when he went on an evil cult subjugation under the Count.

He's an adopted son, you see. One with an unclear background at that.”

“……An evil cult?”

“Ah, you know, those devils from about 10 years ago who were said to have kidnapped people and offered them as sacrifices.”

“Ah, I've heard of them.”

“He adopted a child he brought back from there.

Don't go spreading rumors anywhere. Officially, he adopted a relative's child.

Ah, anyway, I hope he wasn't hurt too badly……”

The woman's gaze followed the back of the cart, filled with concern.

“Huh? But was that black……?

Did I see wrong?”

Rick let the woman's final mumble go in one ear and out the other, staring blankly at the back of the cart.

Then, just after the cart had disappeared, a quiet, hollow laugh escaped him, and his eyes turned cold once again.

‘I just came to check after hearing a strange rumor……. To think that test subject was really alive?’

Where the welcoming smile had disappeared, a gloomy and chilly smile appeared.

But most of the territory's residents, busy watching the back of the passing cart, paid no attention at all to the outsider's appearance.

Dudududu.

“Open the gate!!”

“The grand prince has collapsed!!”

“What!?”

Geugeugeugeugeuk.

The soldiers, who had forced the inner castle gate open with a single shout, hurriedly pulled the cart towards the lord's residence.

Deudeudeudeudeuk.

Paying no mind to the unpleasant sound of the stone floor being scraped, they quickened their pace, dripping with thick beads of sweat.

Just as the soldiers were running frantically, a knight in heavy armor suddenly blocked their path.

“Hoh, Young Master Muno has collapsed?”

A knight with a fierce look and deep red hair.

At his presence, the advancing soldiers were forced to stop the cart.

“Sir Eli!”

“My, my. He went off ignoring my warnings, serves him righ…… ahem. Ah, but why is Young Master Muno's hair this color? Same with those chains, did some nasty stuff get on him?”

At those words, the faces of the soldiers escorting the cart flushed slightly.

Then, before the hot-tempered ones could cause any trouble, the senior soldier, Rom, stepped forward first.

“The grand prince's situation is urgent, Sir Eli. Please clear the way!”

“Hmph, anyone would think I was blocking the way. It was you who came towards me.”

The words he said while standing squarely in the middle of the narrow path to the lord's residence were absurd, but the soldiers had no choice but to endure.

Because the man in front of them, though his actions were like a thug's, was undeniably a knight.

And being a knight meant being a superhuman who had undergone 'Evolution' at least once by learning Corporeal Arts.

Before his status as a quasi-noble, in terms of sheer force, the soldiers were no match for him.

Rom gritted his teeth in frustration.

“We had no choice as the situation was urgent. Please understand.”

“Right, generous as I am, I should understand. Fine, pass through.”

Knight Eli then moved aside to the edge of the path with frustratingly slow steps.

As he did, he added a single remark.

“I will report to the Lord, so take him directly to his bedchamber.”

He was saying that after delaying them, he would be the one to take credit with their superior.

But the anxious Rom and the soldiers could only bow their heads to Eli and pass by with the cart.

And as if to mock their efforts.

“He is simply asleep.”

The territory's doctor, with a sheepish expression, delivered the best possible news.

* * *

- Uwaaaaah!

- Baby, my baby……!

- ……'s bloodline. Kill them all. Keep only the baby alive as a test subject…….

- Accept any injuries that aren't fatal. Conduct all possible experiments.

- It doesn't matter if his mind breaks.

The terrible memories that occasionally surfaced replayed in his mind with unusual vividness.

It was definitely in the past. They were all gone.

He unconsciously gritted his teeth and was about to throw a punch, when.

“Eum……”

The moment he let out a groan, he felt that something was strange.

A comforting warmth enveloped his entire body.

On top of that, the moment he realized that the chronic headache that had tormented him was also no longer felt.

Muno, recalling the memory of the final battle, shot his eyes wide open.

“Heup!?”

At the same time, he reflexively sat bolt upright.

What came into view at that moment was a familiar-looking room.

‘Where is this……?’

A room with no interior decorations, equipped with only practical items.

Himself, sitting dumbly on the bed in light pajamas.

“Y-Young Master?”

And a servant with a familiar face.

“……Esna?”

“Y-Young Master, it's you, right?”

A bitter smile appeared as the brown-haired girl with a face full of freckles asked cautiously with a rather frightened expression.

“What kind of nonsense is that, Esna.”

“Th-thank goodness. I'm so glad you're awake. You were sleeping for so long……”

Esna's strange reaction, so unlike her, bothered him, but that wasn't what was important right now.

“How long?”

“Pardon?”

“How long was I out for.”

“It's, it's been three days since the soldiers brought you here. The Madam, Young Master Lian, and the Lord all came by several times. Everyone was so worried……”

I see.

Muno's expression was bright as he nodded his head naturally.

And for good reason; having safely completed his 'Evolution', the headache that had plagued him for 10 years had completely disappeared.

He wasn't even hungry despite having woken up after three days; rather, he was overflowing with strength.

It was only natural, as he had eliminated… no, devoured the 'devil' in his head through 'Evolution'.

‘How long has it been since I've seen the world with a clear mind.’

From the memories of his past life as Han Munho to the fragments of his gloomy childhood memories in his current life, everything came back to him all too clearly.

Geudeudeuk.

The moment his thoughts touched upon the terrible memories, his teeth naturally ground together.

At that moment, he saw Esna flinch again and step back.

A strange reaction he had never seen from her.

“Ah. I wasn't angry at you, Esna.”

Muno immediately waved his hand with a bitter smile, but with a clank, he felt the weight of the chains attached to his arm.

‘Hmm.’

The shackles left behind by the terrible memories of his current life.

‘Why is this also…….’

Turned black?

He was curious, but what did the color matter now?

‘What the devil left behind…… should I call it a legacy now. Heh.’

At a glance, it was an ordinary iron chain, but it was a strange metal that had become one with his body, to the point that he felt the pain in full when his father tried to cut it with his beloved sword 'Slayer'.

But now.

‘I think I can change it?’

The moment he made up his mind, the hanging chains began to stir slightly.

But just that much of a reaction was not enough.

‘It's not as easy as I thought…….’

Ugh.

He focused his mind more and tried harder, when at some point.

With a 'charreureuk' sound, the chains shortened drastically.

The shackles and chains on his arms instantly turned into bracers that wrapped around from his wrist to his elbow, and the ones on his ankles became metal greaves that protected his shins.

Those smooth protectors, which had a black sheen, clung perfectly to his limbs without any sense of foreignness.

“Hoh……”

The sight brought a pleased smile to Muno's lips, but it seemed to have looked quite scary to someone else.

“Hiiik!?”

Udangtangtang.

“Y-Y-Young Master? A-are you, really, our Young Master. R-right?”

Esna, who had been startled and stumbled backward before collapsing, screamed with a tearful face, but Muno was preoccupied with examining the black protectors the chains had turned into.

‘Is this the limit?’

He had wanted to form them into shapes like gloves or shoes for finer control, but that seemed to be difficult for now.

But still, this was something. It was much better than walking around with shackles and chains.

‘Good.’

“Young Masterrr……?”

When he turned his head with a smile, only then did Esna's face come into view.

Seeing her cute, freckled face contorted in fear, he felt sorry for no reason.

“It's me. Muno. Just because I'm not stuttering anymore, you're treating me too harshly, aren't you?”

“N-no, but, you're so different……. The chains……”

“Ah, this? I just grew through an ordeal. You know, right? I may look like this, but I'm 16, same as you.”

“Y-you speak so well, our Young Master……. No, how could this……”

Seeing Esna still making a confused face, he could only sigh.

“Can you just call Father for me?”

Only after hearing those words did the frightened Esna hesitantly back away and then exit the room.

Then, the moment the door closed, the sound of frantic running could be heard.

Udangtangtang.

- Young Master Muno is……!!

“Heol……”

Even in his bewilderment, he thought that the voice echoing thunderously down the hallway was very much like Esna.

Honestly, it was a very bewildering reaction.

‘I got rid of the devil and the headache disappeared, so naturally I stopped stuttering, that's all…….’

Still, the chains changing color and disappearing... was that a bit… surprising for her?

‘But still, why to that extent.’

His gaze, which had naturally formed a question, happened to brush past a mirror.

Muno then moved the chains again to bring the mirror from the table right in front of his face.

Charrreuk.

And then he realized.

Why Esna had no choice but to react that way.

“Huh……”

He had no idea where the original gray had gone; his pitch-black hair and eyes seemed to shimmer with a black aura that went beyond simple black.

It wasn't just the chains that had turned black.

Of course, for him, it was a change that was not just familiar, but nostalgic.

To the point that he found himself staring blankly into the mirror for a while, reminiscing about his past life when he had nothing.

“……What am I doing.”

The moment he realized it, a hollow laugh escaped him and he put the mirror down, then retracted the chains again.

Charrreuk.

The form of the wrist bracers remained unchanged even after pulling out several meters of chain.

Just by confirming that, various ways to utilize this new ability came to mind.

‘This will be useful.’

In any case, the current him was Muno Drasen, not Han Munho.

Since he had been reincarnated into this absurd world anyway, the stronger he was, the better.

‘Anyway, this turned out well.’

The devil in his head that had been threatening his existence, his life, was gone.

The foundation for living as a normal (?) human being had finally been laid.

‘The future, I can think about it…….’

The difficult life of his past and the terrible experiences of his childhood in his current life.

Standing on top of all of that, the groundwork for carving out a positive future for the first time had finally been established.

Just as he was smiling to himself in the room.

- To the grand prince's room!

Dudududu.

The sound of people rushing over with a loud noise could be heard from outside.

And among them.

- Muno is……?

There was a voice very familiar to him.

The 4-Star knight who had undergone 4 evolutions, the strongest person and master of this Drasen Barony.

And.

‘Father.’

A small smile spread across Muno's face.

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