Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]

Chapter 345: The Haksen Family (1)

***

Damien stared vacantly at the spot where Dorugo had disappeared.

The words Dorugo had said just before leaving kept echoing in his mind.

"No..."

His family was in danger. It wasn't just a matter of their lives being at risk.

In Damien's mind, the torture methods Dorugo frequently used kept flashing incessantly.

And now Dorugo was full of thoughts of ruining his family. She would inflict tortures even more horrific than what Damien could imagine.

"No... not my family..."

But Damien had no way to stop it now.

Damien couldn't open dimensional portals by himself. Even if he had the technique, it was impossible because the dimensional flow around Mount Carion was completely distorted.

Forcibly opening a dimensional portal by cutting through dimensions was also impossible.

Dorugo had cleanly erased her traces to prevent Damien from following.

As Dorugo said, Damien had no choice but to stay here and wait.

Until Dorugo returned after committing horrible acts against his family.

"Ah..."

Damien collapsed right there. He knelt on the ground and covered his face with both hands.

"This can't be happening... This can't be..."

He had lived a trash-like life.

In his youth, he had lived like a ruffian, sucking the flesh and blood of his family.

After becoming a Death Knight, he killed his family with his own hands.

Even after being killed, his family couldn't find peace. They were captured by dark mages and had to endure painful days.

"How... how could this happen when I finally got them back..."

He had been given a chance to atone by a stroke of fortune, so he had vowed to live for his family in this life. He had sworn to make everyone happy.

But what was this?

In the end, he couldn't protect his family. His family would be experiencing hell where he wasn't.

The faces of his family members came to mind one by one.

In his past life, the family Damien remembered always had sad expressions.

But the family members Damien was recalling now were all smiling brightly.

Soon those smiles would be broken. They would be tainted with tears and screams. All because Damien couldn't stop it.

It wasn't just his family.

His sister's child was not yet born into this world.

Damien's nephew would be toyed with by Dorugo. That pure soul would be thoroughly defiled.

For the sole reason of being Damien's nephew.

"...No."

Crunch.

His teeth ground involuntarily. His gums tore and blood flowed.

"Not that child... No."

His voice gained strength. Damien's eyes came back to life.

Responsibility pushed away despair.

Only then did anger rise.

Blood vessels stood out in Damien's eyes.

"There must be... a way..."

He was no longer a Death Knight.

He wasn't the fool who had spent time helplessly trapped in a body.

"Think! Think!"

He had heard that Ruin could do anything. And he had received the same talent as Ruin.

So he should be able to find a way. No, even if he didn't have talent like Ruin's, he had to find a way somehow.

Damien went over the techniques he had learned one by one from the beginning. He didn't miss even the slightest detail.

There was too much information. His head was overloaded. But Damien didn't stop.

A nosebleed trickled down. But Damien didn't even mind it.

"...Found it."

Then Damien suddenly muttered.

"I've found it."

Damien stared into space with burning eyes.

***

"What nice weather."

A woman was lying on the roof of a tower.

The roof was narrow and quite steep.

Though she would die if she fell from there, the woman looked very comfortable.

-How long are you going to rest?

An eerie voice echoed in the woman's ear.

But there was no one around the woman.

It was a situation that would startle anyone, but the woman only frowned as if annoyed.

"We did a lot of training yesterday, didn't we? I moved so much that I even coughed up blood at the end."

-That's proof that your body is still weak. You need to spend more time on physical training...

"Ah, nagging again. You're such an old fogy."

-O-old fogy? When I was alive, there wasn't much age difference between us!

Dominico shouted angrily.

Veronica picked her ear with her pinky finger and said.

"You said there was a 10-year difference. That's quite a lot."

-Y-you...

"And you're weaker than me now, old man."

-Weaker? You've only just reached a level similar to mine!

"What was yesterday's record?"

At Veronica's question, Dominico shut his mouth tightly.

"Why are you suddenly quiet? I asked what the record was."

-10 matches... 6 wins... 4 losses...

"I won 6, you won 4. See? I'm stronger now."

-Battle results can vary depending on the situation! Today will be different!

"Go say that to the dwarves instead of me. You haven't even checked once if they're renovating the castle properly!"

-Those rigid fellows wouldn't do shoddy work! You just need to do your part properly!

"Ah, I don't know. I'm resting today."

Veronica turned her body to the side. Dominico's face flared with anger but Veronica ignored him.

She had heard so much nagging that she could now ignore Dominico's shouts without even covering her ears.

"Ah, Miss Veronica! Were you here?"

Just then, a voice calling her name came from below. Veronica poked her head out from under the roof.

There, she saw Victor..

"What's the matter?"

"The lady is calling for you. She said she bought some precious snacks while out in the town."

At Victor's words, Veronica's eyes lit up.

The Countess often bought delicious food for Veronica.

Tasting it while chatting with her was a great pleasure for Veronica.

"I'm coming right now!"

-What about training?

"I said I'm resting today!"

Veronica said this and jumped down.

It was a height that would kill a normal person, but for Veronica, it was no different from walking downstairs.

After all, she was now a Master Class knight.

* * *

"I'm here!"

Veronica burst into the reception room, flinging the door open.

There, she saw the Countess sitting in front of a table.

"Veronica, you came quickly."

"How could I delay when I heard you had arrived, Mother?"

"You always speak so prettily."

At the Countess's words, Veronica's cheeks turned slightly red.

She had never heard such words in her life before.

Only the Countess ever praised Veronica's way of speaking.

"Please, sit down."

On the table were some dark lumps. Veronica looked at them curiously.

"What are these?"

"They're a food sold by a merchant from a far-off place. The name was... chocolate, I believe."

"May I try it?"

"Of course."

Veronica tried to pick up the chocolate with her fingers. Countess lightly slapped the back of her hand.

"Veronica, what did I tell you about eating food?"

"...You said to use utensils."

Veronica rubbed the back of her hand and picked up a fork.

For someone who was about to eat with her fingers, Veronica's etiquette wasn't bad.

Veronica demurely scooped up some chocolate and put it in her mouth.

A bitter and sweet taste spread throughout her mouth. Veronica's eyes widened.

"Wow, I've never tasted anything like this before!"

"Right? I was surprised when I ate it too. I hurried back because I wanted to give it to you quickly."

There was no way a noble lady like the Countess had actually run.

But Veronica liked even such exaggerated words. She smiled broadly and said.

"Thank you."

Veronica hurriedly put more chocolate in her mouth. The Countess watched Veronica's behavior with a pleased expression.

"If only Damien could taste this too..."

At Countess's murmur, Veronica's hand paused.

Veronica looked at Countess. The Countess was staring out the window with gloomy eyes.

There was no need to ask. It was clear who the Countess was thinking about now.

"You're right. That brat... I mean, Damien doesn't have much luck with food. Always wandering around outside, missing out on things like this."

Veronica said playfully. Countess chuckled in response.

"You're right about that."

"Next time he comes back, I'll beat him up and make him stay home!"

"Alright, I'm counting on you."

Veronica scooped up the remaining chocolate with her fork. Just as she was about to put it in her mouth,

Veronica sensed something.

Veronica put down her fork and ran to the window.

The scenery outside the window was peaceful and quiet. But Veronica could feel it.

An eerie and ominous energy was surrounding the entire Spring Castle.

Despite being Master Class, Veronica felt like she had become an insignificant ant.

Her whole body trembled. She wanted to run away from this place immediately.

"Veronica? What's wrong?"

Countess asked with a worried face.

Veronica gritted her teeth. She mustered up courage for Countess's sake.

"Mother, run away."

"Veronica? What are you saying?"

"There's no time to explain! You need to leave the castle right now..."

The sky distorted and a black hole opened. Three people emerged from it.

On the surface, all three looked like ordinary humans.

But Veronica's instincts and her experience told her that these were monsters wearing human disguises.

One woman among the three quietly looked down at Spring Castle.

She was so beautiful it seemed as if she might have been personally created by a god.

‘Who should I break first?’

A dark smile appeared on the woman's face.

***

[Translator - Kie]

[Proofreader - Kawaii]