The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 114

Aden didn’t actually intend to possess the Winter Queen’s territory.

His only current goal was to make the traitors pay for their betrayal.

Besides getting stronger to defeat them, he wasn’t very interested in anything else.

However, since the Winter Queen had awakened ten days earlier than in the future he knew, his thoughts had slightly changed.

‘The future I know is not absolute.’

The future changed with each of his actions.

Until now, the future had changed within predictable limits, but the awakening of the Winter Queen made him realize anew that it could change beyond his control at any time.

‘I need to grow my power, not just my personal strength.’

He needed to be able to respond to any variable that might arise.

The traitors Aden had to face were not only strong themselves but also had considerable forces.

‘The Iron-Blooded Saint Spica, Archmage Shaura, Grand Alchemist Kalsis.’

He still had three enemies left to deal with.

And those three were even more troublesome than Sylbeta.

Even if he faced them one-on-one, they would be difficult to handle, and their powerful forces would cause significant aftershocks.

‘I need more power and forces of my own.’

He had already formed alliances with Florence’s Fire, the Maedala Guild, and the Sacred Fire Order.

But that didn’t mean he could command them as if they were his limbs.

He needed forces he could easily control.

For that, money and resources were essential.

The value of the mana stone deposits in the north was more than sufficient.

“……Anyway, I’ll leave the development of the Frozen Autonomous Territory mine to you, Niketa.”

“Yes, I will handle it thoroughly, so you don’t need to worry.”

Niketa smiled sweetly.

Aden visited the secret branch Niketa managed and entrusted her with the development and investment of the Frozen mana stone mine.

Running the White Moon intelligence group and the merchant group, it wasn’t a difficult task for her.

Niketa’s hair was still half-black because she hadn’t fully absorbed the energy from the Frozen Legion.

This mana stone mine development was beneficial for her and her forces as well.

There was a problem of some dark mana lingering in the mana stones, but it was no issue for a warlock who could freely handle and remove dark mana.

The quality and value of the purified mana stones and rare magical minerals were top-notch.

Even just investing in it would bring huge profits.

A strange heat flickered in her blue eyes as she reviewed the documents.

“With this amount of deposits… it’s clear we wouldn’t be able to mine it all even after decades. Truly amazing!”

When Aden had previously tasked her with handling the Winter Queen’s undead army, she thought he was doing it to save the pitiful souls wandering in the netherworld.

But with just one action, he had dealt with the Syres Grand Duke who was allied with Chaos and obtained a mana stone mine.

It was not surprising why he was called the Apostle of the Sacred Fire by the Sacred Fire Order.

‘That’s because he is the Underlord.’

If the Lord had done it, what more reason did one need!

Her reverence for the Underlord was almost akin to a priest’s faith towards a deity.

There was no room for doubt.

She could only hold admiration and respect for Aden, who looked ahead and moved accordingly.

Usually, she didn’t reveal her inner thoughts and feelings even to her subordinates, but she often showed her true emotions in front of Aden.

From Aden’s perspective, reading the respect and admiration in her eyes was somewhat embarrassing.

-Dragon Slayer, are you really going to continue this misunderstanding?

‘……Shut up.’

It was unavoidable.

If he told the truth now and alienated her, it would be a loss for him.

‘Besides, I don’t think she’d believe it even if I told her the truth.’

As it was at the Remes Ducal House, he could already imagine her reaction: ‘Ah, you want to hide your identity! Let’s pretend to believe it desperately!’

‘And…… honestly, it’s fun.’

Seeing the Silver Witch, who always wore a cold expression and only smirked in his past life, making such natural expressions was unexpectedly fun.

Unknowingly, a smile curved at Aden’s lips.

“Alright, I’ll trust you. Do your best; this land might become your haven.”

“……!”

Niketa’s eyes sparkled with anticipation at Aden’s meaningful words.

What she desired as much as reclaiming the legitimacy of black magic was to gain a place where black magicians could live openly on the ground, away from the floating island of Shamaim.

A place where they wouldn’t be persecuted for being black magicians, where those who rightly used black magic could live without hiding their identity.

‘The reconstruction of Necropolis!’

The name of the ancient capital of the Florence Kingdom, where the dead and the living coexisted.

The dream and aspiration of all moderate black magicians.

“……Alright. Just leave it to me.”

Her heart throbbed as she imagined that paradise.

* * *

After finishing his conversation with Niketa, Aden visited the workshop of the dwarf blacksmith Hetos.

Bang! Clang!

The sound of the bellows and hammers echoed through Hetos’s workshop as always.

Even without customers, the diligent dwarf grandfather kept working.

‘Or maybe he was just bored with nothing else to do.’

When Aden arrived, Hetos stopped his work and came out.

“Oh, the kid is here?”

“It’s been a while, Hetos.”

Old man Hetos called Aden a kid, but Aden didn’t mind.

‘Master Balkan also used to call me an old kid.’

A child was a little kid, a young man was a kid, a middle-aged man was a big kid, and an old man was an old kid.

There were annoyingly many kinds of kids.

‘Well, from the perspective of an old man who has lived for hundreds of years, all humans would seem like kids.’

Hetos looked at Aden with an awkward expression and cleared his throat.

“Humph, so, did you bring that again today?”

Hetos’s face was filled with expectation.

Aden laughed at Hetos’s expression and pulled out several small barrels of the finest wine from the Subspace Pouch and placed them on the floor.

“Of course, I brought plenty. Let’s drink together.”

“Haha! A guy with such sense! Alright, let’s have a drink today too!”

Hetos clapped his hands and was overjoyed.

Indeed, old man Hetos was simple and easy to deal with.

After entrusting his weapons to him, Aden occasionally visited to share drinks with him.

Aden opened a bottle of wine and poured it generously into Hetos’s and his own glasses.

“By the way, kid. Are you using the weapon I made well?”

“Of course.”

He was using it very well.

So well that he had even killed a Sword Master Grand Duke with it.

Although he had stabbed in a gap, he had pierced the strong body of the Syres and poisoned him.

It was no ordinary weapon.

“The craftsmanship is superb. The armor was perfect too. There won’t be another weapon like this.”

“Haha! Of course! Who do you think made it!”

Old man Hetos laughed heartily and raised his glass of wine.

Then, taking a sip of the wine…

“……Huh!”

His eyes widened as if they were about to pop out, and he took a sharp breath.

‘This taste…!’

The fragrant aroma of grapes and alcohol spread as soon as it touched his mouth.

The sweet and slightly bitter taste of the wine felt like it was made from grapes blessed by all of nature, evoking a sense of lush greenery.

When he swallowed, there was no heaviness, and it went down smoothly.

‘How can it taste so divine!’

The wine was so exceptional that even as a connoisseur with 557 years of drinking experience, he was shocked.

He asked Aden in a trembling voice.

“Hey, kid. This wine… where is it made?”

Aden smiled at his reaction.

“It’s a wine brewed in my family’s territory, Hetos.”

This time, wine was made from the fruits grown by the Ents in the Remes territory.

Aden had received it through the Pobol Merchant Group.

The grape clusters cultivated by the Ents had the highest sweetness and taste.

Moreover, the brewing process was assisted by spirits, resulting in top-quality wine.

‘Fairy’s Lazy Afternoon.’

That was the name of the wine that would become a specialty of the Remes territory.

“How does it taste?”

“Taste? Damn it! This is the first time I’ve tasted such ridiculously delicious wine! If you had this, you should’ve given it to me earlier! Haha!”

Old man Hetos was overjoyed, drinking the wine from the Remes territory.

After quickly drinking two barrels of wine, Hetos’s face turned as red as a tomato.

“There seems to have been quite an event outside. Seeing that you’ve shed a layer.”

Shedding a layer meant that Aden had reached the level of a superhuman.

As expected, Hetos recognized Aden’s level, not just wasting his years.

“Just happened.”

“Haha! You must be the only crazy kid who says ‘just happened’ after reaching the level of a master at that age! It’s truly the end of the world when a young kid like you reaches the level of a superhuman. The end of the world!”

Aden shrugged at Hetos’s hearty laughter.

“Well, it’s because I’m exceptional.”

“Haha, what a cheeky thing to say. As expected of Balkan’s disciple.”

Hetos’s casual mention of being the disciple of Mercenary King Balkan made Aden flinch internally.

“……Did you already know?”

“How could I not.”

Hetos, with his somewhat flushed face, smiled faintly as he drank.

“Even though I may look like this, I’ve made weapons for all the Merc

enary Kings throughout the ages. How could I not recognize that peculiar swordsmanship? I know everything. Well, at first I was a bit unsure. I didn’t think that guy would take a noble as a disciple.”

However, after seeing him several times, sharing drinks, and talking, he naturally figured it out.

The way he talked, the way he acted, and the atmosphere.

There were faint traces of Balkan, traces of the Mercenary King.

Hetos grumbled with a frown.

“That damned Balkan. If he had a disciple, he should’ve told me before he disappeared. He’s really a damned old kid, huh.”

“Haha.”

Aden smiled bitterly at Hetos’s grumbling.

He could see that Hetos was actually happy despite his complaints.

He was happy that the lineage of the Mercenary King hadn’t been broken, and about his master.

“Well, he seems to have found a good one. To think that such a young kid is a master. He sure left behind a good successor, huh.”

“……That’s quite a compliment.”

Hetos pulled out a cigar from his pocket, lit it, and inhaled the smoke.

Then he suddenly asked.

“Did you say your name was Aden? Have you found Balkan, that kid?”

“No. I haven’t seen my master for quite some time either.”

“Well, is that so? That damned guy, where the hell is he and what is he doing? Well, that persistent guy wouldn’t have died anywhere, so he’ll probably pop up soon enough. Don’t you think?”

In his previous life, even ten years after the Great Talos War, his master’s whereabouts remained unknown.

But Aden didn’t mention that and just smiled bitterly and gave a vague answer.

“He’s an old man who doesn’t seem like he’d die easily.”

“Haha! That’s right! You know it well! Back in the day, when that kid was young……”

Hetos started talking about the old stories of Master Balkan, and Aden, already knowing the stories, listened quietly.

It felt strange.

In this life, he had no connection with Master or old man Hetos, yet he was able to have a conversation about the missing master.

He felt the presence of destiny.

Once again, Aden realized.

‘As long as I remember, my past life isn’t gone.’

If it were all a vanished illusion, he wouldn’t be able to sit here and talk about his master with old man Hetos.

‘As long as I remember my past life, I am the disciple of the Mercenary King and the Dragon Slayer King.’

– And the adversary who killed me, the Underlord. Don’t leave me out, Dragon Slayer King.

He chuckled at Curse’s self-assertion not to be forgotten.

Indeed.

He was Aden Albireo, the Dragon Slayer King.

Aden Albireo, who defeated the Underlord and was betrayed by those he considered comrades.

A strange heat flickered in Aden’s eyes.

‘So I must make them pay.’

While dealing with Sylbeta, Aden felt the futility of this revenge.

That futility had shaken his goal, but now it was back on track, and his eyes lit up again.

Aden spoke to Hetos.

“Hetos, I didn’t come here today just for a drink. I have a favor to ask.”

“Hmm? What favor are you talking about? Just say it, kid.”

Hetos’s realization of Aden being the disciple of the Mercenary King was an unexpected variable, but it turned out to be a good thing.

It allowed Aden to gain more favor from Hetos.

Thanks to that, Aden felt more comfortable expressing his request.

“I want to visit the dwarves’ underground kingdom, Stoneheim.”

Aden intended to negotiate with the dwarf king there.