HPDBC Chapter 56
Chapter 56
Chapter 56
That smirk on the Lord of Blood and Iron’s face soon turned into laughter.
It was the first time I’d ever seen the cold and emotionless man laugh like that.FiNd updates on
A sense of wrongness also grew alongside his laughter, and I found myself thinking that his laughter was befitting of the family head of House Bednicker.
With laughter still in his voice, the Lord of Blood and Iron called my name.
“Luan Bednicker.”
He took a moment to return to the table and sat down before he continued.
“What you say is right. The swordsmanship technique I just showed you is incomplete. Many parts require more work.”
“I see.”
“It’s interesting. I showed this technique to three people, but only you were able to notice that fact.”
The Lord of Blood and Iron crossed his legs as he looked at Hero and Nero.
“Hero, Nero.”
“Yes.”
“...Yes.”
“I do not believe that you are less perceptive than Luan. However, Luan was able to correctly identify a truth that you two were unable to notice. Why do you think that is?”
The two contemplated for a while before shaking their heads.
“I don’t know.”
“Nor do I.”
“It’s because you two deify me too much.”
The Lord of Blood and Iron’s smile fell from his face.
He calmly said, “How many times have I told you? There are moments when I am wrong and make poor decisions. A swordsmanship I have created can have its own awkwardness, and you should discover it yourself. However, the two of you completely abandoned that possibility and observed my swordsmanship through your own bias. You assumed, for no real reason, that a technique I created would be perfect.”
“...”
“In truth, it’s not just you two; most within the bounds of House Bednicker see me in such a light. There is a reason I do not train in the main house like Hatehm of Goodspring...”
The Lord of Blood and Iron’s gaze turned back to me.
“But Luan, you looked at my sword with clear eyes. I can at least sense that you do not believe me to be the strongest being. Have you perhaps met someone similar to... or even stronger than me?”
“...”
I felt a chill go down my spine.
Of course. This man wasn’t just strong. He was intelligent and could deduce someone’s thoughts by observing minute changes in their reactions.
At least from what I knew, there was no one more uneasy to talk to than someone like this.
Was having a man like this as my father a blessing or a curse?
“...Who knows.”
Of course, that didn’t mean I was just going to reveal everything about Spirit Mountain.
The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at me for a little longer before he continued, “There are no textbooks that explain how to fight demons and cultists. There isn’t a set strategy you can use, unlike when fighting beasts and monsters. In addition, from their high priests to their lackeys, each of them is unique. At most, they may share some general tendencies depending on which sect they are from.”
In a calm voice, the Lord of Blood and Iron explained a few traits.
The pawns of Hadenaihar, the Demon Lord of the Blood-Lit Moon, were covert.
The pawns of Tangtata, the Demon Lord of the Green Tongue, enjoyed plotting and scheming.
And the pawns of Kingarodtus, the Demon Lord of the Golden Horn, were violent and impulsive.
I felt that an unexpected opportunity had arrived as I naturally asked, “What about the Demon Lord of Black and White?”
“From what I know, he doesn’t seem to have any pawns. He is an interesting one among the demon lords.”
“Ah...”
“The Demon Lord of Black and White is particularly unique. He appeared quite recently, and his influence isn’t deep in The Empire.”
“Then why is he categorized as a demon lord?”
“He ended an entire nation by himself 100 years ago, so he has the qualifications to be called a demon lord.”
My mouth snapped shut in shock.
My eldest senior brother tended to avoid killing others, even more so than any of my master’s other disciples.
Even when he ate food, even when he killed the monsters who lived on Spirit Mountain, he always repented for his actions.
How could someone like that destroy an entire nation?
And “he went mad” couldn’t be the answer.
The Great Yin-Yang Technique that my eldest senior had learned required that he maintain his composure.
If he’d gone mad, he would’ve lost that power.
Meaning... Eldest Senior Brother had to have gone mad in a very rational way.
What the hell does that mean?
Even though I was the one who’d thought it, it sounded like nonsense.
“The swordsmanship I just showed you does not have a name. I have no intention of completing it. Instead, I want you to complete it.”
“By that, you mean...”
“Use what I showed you as a baseline to create your own martial art.”
“...”
“I will give you one year to complete it. You don’t need to follow every single stroke of my sword, just use it as a reference. What I wished to show you is the mindset you must have when fighting against demons.”
Hero and Nero both nodded.
“Okay.”
“...Understood.”
The Lord of Blood and Iron looked at the two of them.
“You two may leave now.”
“Ah, just the two of us?”
“Yeah.”
“I am relieved that nothing serious seems to have happened.”
I neither affirmed nor denied Kayan’s words.
It was true that nothing serious had happened to me, but the contents of the conversation had been pretty serious.
“Master, I heard from the grand master just now. If you wish to attend the training camp, then you must move your lodgings by the end of this week.”
“Where to?”
“A building north of the forest beyond the fencing of the main house. It was used as a training ground for the knight order of old, but now it’s become the lodgings and educational center for the young heroes who attend the training camp.”
“Ah.”
“I heard that the other young heroes have already moved there.”
Since everyone was from a different house, that was the right call. It wouldn’t be right to have them continue to stay in the main house just because the training camp hadn’t started.
Even among the Great Houses, House Bednicker was especially exclusive.
“Then I should move there as well.”
“There is still some time left, so you don’t need to move too quickly.”
“All right. Then I’ll go out for a moment.”
Kayan tilted his head.
“Where are you going at this time?”
“The underground library.”
I didn’t need to go there immediately, but since I also had a few questions for Father, I intended to go there now.
Kayan looked surprised.
“You received permission from the family head?”
“Yeah. I don’t know if the librarian has gotten the memo, but I doubt they’ll send me back when I say the family head gave me permission. Now that I think about it, do you know anything about the underground library’s librarian?”
“My apologies, but I have never entered the underground library.”
“I see.”
“Why do you ask?”
“The family head told me to be careful of the librarian.”
At that, Kayan’s expression hardened slightly.
“The Lord of Blood and Iron does not give out unnecessary warnings.”
“I know. That’s why I’m a little spooked.”
But I was looking forward to it even more so.
As I went to step out, Kayan spoke.
“Should I come with you?”
“Nah. I’m the one who got permission.”
“That is true.”
“I’ll come back soon.”
“Yes. Please be careful.”
After leaving the room, I headed straight for the underground library.
But I suddenly realized that I had forgotten one crucial detail: I didn’t know where the entrance to the underground library was.
In the end, I couldn’t help but walk down the corridors for a bit before speaking to a maid I met.
“Where do I need to go to go to the underground library?”
“The underground library? My apologies, but I don’t know either.”
She was a servant of the house, how could she not know?
Is she an apprentice?
But she seemed a little old for that.
In any case, I continued on and asked a few more servants...
“I don’t know.”
“I don’t think I’ve heard of that before...?”
“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know.”
But I kept receiving the same answer.
“What the hell?”
I stood in the middle of the corridors and thought for a second.
Unless all the servants of the main house had become stupid, this situation was definitely weird.
After thinking for a while, I spoke to a maid who seemed a little older.
From what I remembered, she seemed to be the head maid.
A veteran who probably had over 10 years of experience in the main house.
Her reaction was different.
“I cannot tell you.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“There is nothing more to say. However...” the head maid said with an expressionless face, “Please be careful.”
“...”
When I heard that, I felt the incongruency I’d felt before taking shape again.
I didn’t try to keep the head maid as she left. Instead, I looked through the entirety of the first floor of this massive mansion.
After dozens of minutes had passed, I realized something.
There was not a single staircase in this entire mansion that led underground.