Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Meeting of Warriors

The moment I saw the man standing before me, I took a deep breath.

He was an old man with snow-white hair — yet clearly, a seasoned martial artist with a sharp aura.

And he was a strong one, a man who had lived through countless years.

“Ah, young warriors, are you? You look to be at most the age of a newly advanced Intermediate Warrior… What business brings you here?”

The old man before us spoke.

His expression seemed faintly displeased. But I couldn’t answer.

I was overwhelmed by the sheer, terrifying pressure he exuded without even trying.

“Count Reinhardt, they’re still young. Rather than pressuring them, wouldn’t it be better to guide them to the guest chambers first?”

A man standing beside him — the one who had called him Count — intervened, as if to calm the old man down. Reinhardt glanced at him, then gave a small nod.

“It seems I’ve been too harsh toward our guests. Kael, guide these young warriors to their rooms. And don’t forget to bring them some warm soup — the weather’s been quite cold lately.”

At his words, the man named Kael smiled softly, then turned toward me.

“My apologies. It seems we’ve shown you an unpleasant sight. I am Kael, aide to Lord Reinhardt.”

Seeing that we replied without flinching, Kael let out a small breath of relief.

“I was worried you might have been intimidated by the Count’s aura, but it seems that’s not the case. Now, please — allow me to escort you to your quarters.”

I nodded, then asked,

“By the way… that old man is Count Reinhardt?”

“That’s right. Is there something you’d like to know?”

There were many things I wanted to ask. Why did he seem so irritated? And why was someone with the title of Count so overwhelmingly powerful?

I had always heard that the nobles of the Empire were weak. Yet that man was different. He was a true powerhouse — his presence easily surpassed that of even the Upper Warriors of Elphrel.

‘Of course, I don’t actually know how strong an Upper Warrior truly is… but my first impression of him was far stronger than even Hain’s.’

Kael noticed my troubled expression and let out a light laugh.

“Haha, I imagine you must have many questions. First, allow me to apologize for today’s discourtesy. Recently, demonic beasts have been swarming throughout the territory, so our lord’s nerves have been on edge.”

“Demonic beasts… are rampaging?”

“Yes. Day or night, they’ve been attacking without pause.”

Looking at Teran and Karlson, I saw they, too, wore confused expressions.

We hadn’t encountered a single demonic beast on our way here. And yet now he was saying they were rampaging everywhere?

It didn’t sound like a lie.

After all, we had noticed it on our way — how the townsfolk didn’t dare come outside even when the sun hung high in the sky.

Still, my doubts didn’t fade.

“We never saw any demonic beasts on the way here. Are you sure they’re really swarming?”

Kael looked startled. Then his expression stiffened, and he muttered under his breath.

“Now that you mention it… that is strange. With how many beasts there are right now, how could warriors have reached here unscathed?”

Demonic beasts were creatures of pure instinct — monsters with no reason, driven only by the urge to kill humans.

“Would you please follow me for a moment?” Kael asked with a trace of urgency.

Sensing that the situation was turning ominous, I agreed to follow.

“You say you encountered no demonic beasts on your way here?”

In the silent office, Count Reinhardt spoke in a heavy tone.

The atmosphere was grave — so much so that I only nodded without speaking.

Demonic beasts were beings born to kill humans.

Creatures like goblins and orcs fell under that category — monsters without intellect, incapable of even simple planning.

In other words, it was impossible that we could have traveled all the way from Elphrel to Reinhardt’s domain without being attacked.

So naturally, the Count frowned.

“The demonic beasts are… trying to create a demon beast.”

By nature, demonic beasts only existed to kill humans. But there was one exception.

Once their numbers surpassed a thousand, they would begin sacrificing their own life force to create a single new being.

“A demon beast… They’re making one.”

At his words, Teran and Karlson gasped. I alone managed to stay calm — though it wasn’t that I didn’t understand their fear.

‘A demon beast… It’s on a completely different level from ordinary demonic beasts.’

Even with simple math, that thing would hold the life force of a thousand demonic beasts in one body.

It couldn’t be weak even if it wanted to.

But that wasn’t the only problem.

Unlike demonic beasts, a demon beast possessed reason — it could think.

A being one step higher in every aspect.

That was a demon beast.

And that was the reason Count Reinhardt’s expression was so grim.

“Leon, was it? Thanks to you, we’ve learned something valuable. My gratitude extends to the two warriors behind you as well.”

“You’ve long maintained a good relationship with Elphrel, my lord. Helping you is only natural.”

Reinhardt looked at me with an amused spark in his eyes, as if thinking, This one’s interesting.

I was merely a young warrior, here to carry out a high-level mission from Elphrel — not a diplomat. And yet I’d just spoken as though representing my homeland’s goodwill.

Even a skilled orator would have struggled to phrase it that smoothly.

‘Heh. I might owe this kid a big debt.’

The Count chuckled lightly and then asked,

“By the way, Leon, was it? Now that I see your face and hear your name, I remember. You’re Zeke Fritz’s son, aren’t you?”

“You knew my father?”

Reinhardt’s lips curled into a faint smile.

“Of course I did. Your father was both a benefactor and a friend to me. We’ve exchanged letters recently — he mentioned you as well.”

My tone was calm, but I couldn’t hide my surprise.

I hadn’t expected Zeke to exchange letters with an Imperial noble.

Father had never shown any particular dislike toward Imperials, but he hadn’t seemed fond of them either…

‘Who would’ve thought Father had a friend in the Empire?’

It was truly astonishing.

Zeke — practically the king of Elphrel — being friends with an Imperial noble.

That was like saying the Emperor himself was on good terms with the warriors of Elphrel.

Teran and Karlson seemed equally shocked; they stared at me as though I’d grown another head. Just as I was about to say something—

“Y–You’re Sir Zeke Fritz’s son?!”

Kael suddenly shouted, his face pale with shock.

“My ears hurt, aide.”

Reinhardt spoke in his usual calm tone, but Kael’s voice showed no sign of quieting down.

“No, Count! This isn’t just anyone — he’s the son of King Zeke Fritz! What’s strange isn’t my reaction, but that you’re so composed about it!”

Kael, clearly unable to contain his astonishment, spoke almost in a shout.

For a moment, I found it odd that a man who was supposed to be a Count’s aide would lose his composure like that — but Reinhardt suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“Haha! Please, forgive him. In your homeland, being the son of a king might not be such an extraordinary thing, but in the Empire, we place great importance on bloodlines and lineage. So it’s only natural that my aide would react this way.”

“What do you mean by that?”

I asked, puzzled, and Reinhardt kindly elaborated.

“In your country, Elphrel, the throne can change hands at any time, can it not? The strongest warrior simply becomes the ruler.”

“To be precise, the Supreme Warrior becomes the king.”

“Indeed, and that’s your king’s seat. But unlike Elphrel, the Empire crowns its kings not through strength, but through heritage and legitimacy — whether strong or weak, bloodline decides it. I suppose that’s just a difference in culture.”

I understood what he meant.

After all, thanks to my past life’s knowledge, I already knew that kingship wasn’t always determined by power alone.

“What’s he talking about? No matter the culture, shouldn’t the strongest be king?”

“I agree. Why base it on blood? Shouldn’t the most capable person rule?”

Teran and Karlson, apparently unable to understand, tilted their heads and whispered to each other.

“Ah, right. There was something you needed,” Reinhardt said suddenly. “Kael.”

Kael pulled out a rolled parchment from his coat.

“Please accept this. It is a formal letter confirming that Lord Reinhardt will continue to uphold his cooperative relations with Elphrel.”

I bowed politely and took the letter.

The mission I’d received this time was simple enough — I could have returned to Elphrel the moment I received this.

“With a demon beast possibly lurking nearby, it would be best if you stayed a few more days.”

Because of that, we couldn’t move carelessly.

So we remained in the castle.

And the next morning—

“Hey, you’re the son of Elphrel’s king, right? You don’t look that strong to me. How about we have a match?”

A soldier came up to me, picking a fight out of nowhere.

I looked up from my breakfast at the soldier who had suddenly challenged me.

He had deep blue hair like the sea and beautiful golden eyes that gleamed with fighting spirit.

But his delicate jawline didn’t quite match his bravado.

“Man,” he replied flatly.

I nodded and continued eating my soup — a clear gesture of indifference.

The blue-haired man frowned.

“Are you ignoring me right now?”

“Can’t you see I’m eating? Wait a bit.”

“Oh… is that so? Fine.”

He sat down across from me, apparently intending to wait until I finished.

But as I kept eating — and eating — he began to look bored.

“My name’s Jaelidov Withers. I’m the heir to this domain.”

“Leon,” I said between spoonfuls. “As you said yourself — son of Elphrel’s Supreme Warrior.”

I spoke casually, then went back to my meal.

Jaelidov blinked at me for a moment, then said,

“My specialty is swift swordsmanship. I learned my blade under my grandfather, Lord Reinhardt.”

“You don’t have anything to ask? No reaction at all? I picked a fight with you, you know. Don’t you have anything to say about that?”

“I don’t know — maybe something like ‘why are you picking a fight with me’ or that I’m being rude or something?”

“So you do know your behavior is discourteous.”

“Of course. I’m the future lord of this domain, after all.”

“And yet you knowingly behaved rudely. You were fully aware your actions were improper, and you did it anyway. I have no interest in talking to people without decency.”

“And another thing — by now, every soldier in the castle should have heard about the demon beast. You don’t know when it’ll appear, and yet you’re wasting time picking fights like a child. Are you sure you’re really Count Reinhardt’s heir?”

Even though it was our first meeting, I didn’t hesitate to scold him sharply. My criticism hit home — Jaelidov’s eyes spun as if he’d been struck dizzy.

He finally covered his ears and shouted,

“All right, all right! I get it! In that case, I’m heading out to gather supplies later — just lend me a hand.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll help.”

I resumed eating my soup calmly.

Watching me, Jaelidov let out a helpless laugh.

As I glanced at him, I thought to myself—

‘What a strange guy.’

I’d always hated troublesome things — or more precisely, wasting time on pointless matters.

But I’d listened to Jaelidov’s nonsense because there wasn’t a trace of malice in his eyes.

‘He only approached me out of curiosity.’

There were several ways to interpret his actions. I was, after all, the son of Zeke — the Supreme Warrior of Elphrel.

If I had only grown up in Elphrel like Teran and Karlson, I might not have understood. But I still retained Chun Gwang’s memories — knowledge of Imperial culture.

To me, Jaelidov’s behavior seemed more like a gesture of friendliness than disrespect.

‘If I didn’t have Chun Gwang’s memories, I probably would’ve reacted differently.’

As I thought, Jaelidov’s demeanor softened noticeably afterward.

He straightened his posture, no longer resting his chin on his hand, and simply watched me with curious eyes.

Once we finished our meal—

“Shall we go?” Jaelidov asked.

The guards opened the gate the moment they saw him, so it seemed he truly had permission to leave for a hunting trip. Read complete versıon only at NoveI(F)ire.net

“Still, there should be enough food in the castle. Why go out to gather more?” I asked.

“For the people,” Jaelidov explained.

“My grandfather looks after his citizens personally, unlike most lords. Normally, we wouldn’t risk going out until after the demon beast hunt, but we can’t let the villagers starve. Since I’m the strongest in the castle, it falls to me.”

“Well, among those my age.”

He looked about the same age as me, and the energy radiating from him wasn’t ordinary — his aura was on par with Teran or Karlson.

So I accepted his words without question.

“Why did you pick a fight with me earlier?”

“I wanted to befriend the warriors. I heard warriors respect confident people, so I thought I’d come on strong… Was that bad?”

“It wasn’t bad — it was the worst. Even warriors mind their manners when meeting someone for the first time.”

As expected, Jaelidov hadn’t approached me with ill intent. He’d simply wanted to befriend the warriors.

Naive as he was, his attitude toward learning wasn’t bad — so I decided to offer him a bit of advice.

“Especially among warriors, don’t ever bring up lineage or bloodlines. We live as individuals — as warriors — not as the heirs of someone else’s name.”

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll be more careful next time I make a new friend.”

Surprisingly, we got along quite well. Both of us disliked pretense and valued honesty — perhaps that’s why.

As we chatted and hunted together—

A chilling, inhuman howl suddenly echoed through the air, reaching both my ears and Jaelidov’s.