The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 82

Lowe made the first move.

“Haaahp!”

Lowe’s sword lunged swiftly at Aden.

Aden’s gaze focused on Lowe’s sword hilt as he twisted his neck to dodge the attack.

Clang, clang! Clang-!

Lowe’s continuous strikes followed.

His attacks flowed seamlessly and poured onto Aden.

Aden parried each one naturally while calmly analyzing.

‘He has grown quite a bit.’

Lowe’s swordsmanship had become sharper and more refined.

He moved intuitively, without hesitation, considering many branching possibilities.

His growth over just one month was remarkable.

‘But that’s as far as it goes.’

Though his progress was commendable for a month, that was all there was to it.

Swoosh, clang, clang!

Aden blocked a slash targeting his blind spot. His expression gradually darkened.

To be honest, he felt a bit disappointed.

‘In some ways, he has regressed.’

There were gaps all over where he could be stabbed.

Lowe himself must have noticed these gaps but focused on attacking recklessly without defending.

‘This is a bit disappointing.’

If there was nothing more to show, he thought it might be okay to end the sparring here.

Swoooosh!

The sound of air being sliced could be heard.

The ominous cutting force in Aden’s sword showed his intention to end the spar.

His sword aimed at the gap in Lowe’s side.

Clang-!

‘Blocked…?’

His brow furrowed deeply.

Aden had aimed at the gap and thrust.

And in his senses, there was no way for Lowe to block that thrust.

Aden looked at the object blocking his sword.

“…!”

Then his expression hardened.

Lowe had blocked his iron sword with his bare arm.

Swoooosh-!

Taking advantage of Aden’s momentary distraction, Lowe’s sword rushed at him, and Aden quickly rolled his body to barely evade the blow.

As the distance between the two widened, a brief lull ensued.

Aden urgently looked at Lowe’s arm and then chuckled in disbelief.

“Ha…”

The strike that Aden had delivered could have cut off Lowe’s arm.

However, the arm blocking the sword was merely torn in its clothing, with no injury to the body itself.

‘No, it’s not like a human body is made of steel.’

Blocking a sword with bare hands? Was that even possible?

He couldn’t help but ask.

“Lowe, how did you do that?”

Lowe smiled satisfactorily as he looked at Aden.

“It is the result of my training, Sir Aden.”

Lowe rolled up his sleeve.

Seeing his bare arm, Aden was again taken aback.

“You…”

His arm had the color of pure white marble, similar to when he had mana deficiency.

Lowe felt joy as he saw the widened eyes of his lord.

Lowe spoke to Aden.

“It happened during my training.”

Over the past month, Lowe had taken enough food and supplies and secluded himself in the mountains for training.

He pushed himself relentlessly through hellish training.

Thanks to that, he grew rapidly day by day, but it was still not enough.

‘This won’t do.’

He needed to utilize his own unique traits more.

He needed to find his own, unique strengths.

‘Do I really have such abilities?’

Lowe kept asking himself.

‘Do I have’ something special that no one else could imitate or replace?

During this time, Lowe’s mind grew weary, and he was on the verge of falling into demonic possession.

One day, as he was resting, exhausted both physically and mentally, he sat on a rock.

“The rock I was sitting on was unusually white compared to the surrounding stones.”

It was marble.

While other rocks were black and gray, that rock was purely white, made of marble.

Looking at the marble, Lowe extended his right arm and chuckled.

His right arm had once turned the same color due to mana deficiency.

‘If it weren’t for Sir Aden…’

He would have lost his arm.

The arm kept hardening like a rock…

‘…!’

At that moment, a small realization struck Lowe’s mind.

“Then I thought, is my arm turning to stone really just a disadvantage? What if I could artificially control the symptoms of mana deficiency at will?”

Lowe immediately put this realization into practice.

He remembered the feeling of mana being concentrated and condensed in one place.

Recalling that sensation, he practiced countless times.

Hundreds, even thousands of times.

Lowe was a genius, acknowledged by Aden.

And when such a genius worked hard based on his realization, how could there be no results?

“Eventually, I figured out the trick. By temporarily blocking mana channels and condensing mana, I could artificially induce mana deficiency.”

“…”

“I named this ‘White Stone Transformation.’ Compared to Sir Aden’s martial prowess, it is just a trivial trick.”

“…”

Madness.

Aden couldn’t help but genuinely admire him.

It seemed Lowe didn’t even realize it himself.

What he had just invented was a new usage of mana martial arts.

Like the founding ancestors of the secret martial arts passed down in noble families across the continent.

The gaps Aden perceived were not actual gaps.

Lowe had induced them to appear that way and used his body as a shield.

For now, it seemed he could only reinforce his arm.

But if he could further develop this technique?

What if he could turn not just his arm but his legs, head, and chest into rock?

The potential of this ‘White Stone Transformation’ was limitless.

Lowe’s genius surpassed Aden’s expectations.

However, as Aden remained silent in surprise, Lowe grew increasingly anxious.

“…Uh, what do you think, Sir Aden?”

The inventor of a technique that even astonished the Dragon Slayer looked at his master like a nervous puppy.

Aden found his reaction amusing and laughed.

He shook his head and said,

“You’re accepted, Lowe.”

Geniuses were indeed annoying but immensely useful.

Thus, Lowe’s inclusion was decided.

* * *

On the day of Elise’s departure for her continental pilgrimage,

“Kuhahahahat! It’s finally complete!”

Gustav, with his sunken eyes, burst into mad laughter.

After receiving the baron title from Aden, he had worked tirelessly for fifteen days, utilizing abundant resources and manpower, and finally created a masterpiece to accompany Aden on his pilgrimage.

Pointing to one side, he shouted,

“This is my first successful work, embodying the essence of my magical mechanical engineering! Everyone, take a look!”

There stood an ordinary-looking carriage.

The only notable feature was its sturdiness and spaciousness, enough to fit ten people.

But it wasn’t just any carriage.

It was the first masterpiece of magical engineering created with the investment from Duke Remes.

“This carriage incorporates numerous magical engineering technologies!”

It had temperature control magic for hot, humid, or cold weather.

Vibration-absorbing functions that made rough paths feel like smooth plains.

Furthermore, with lightweight magic, it could be quickly pulled by a single horse.

“And it includes about thirty-six additional features!”

Aden was dumbfounded.

“No, why add so many features to a single carriage…?”

“They are all for your comfortable and safe pilgrimage, my lord!”

“…Alright, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Kuhahah!”

Suddenly stopping his laughter, Gustav glanced around furtively and handed Aden a parchment, whispering.

“In case of any dangerous situation, follow this manual.”

“Manual? Hmm, Class 1 Command…”

“Ah! You mustn’t read it out loud!”

Gustav, startled, covered Aden’s mouth.

“Really, truly! Only in absolutely dire circumstances should you use it! Using it beforehand would be disastrous!”

“…”

What on earth did this madman create?

Seeing him emphasize it so much, it seemed he had prepared something highly suspicious.

‘I wouldn’t want to use it even if it meant dying.’

Aden decided he never wanted to know what hidden feature Gustav had prepared.

Unaware of Aden’s thoughts, Gustav enthusiastically declared,

“I will dedicate myself to researching for the territory while you’re away! Kuhuhut, kuhahaha!”

To an outsider, his manic appearance could easily be mistaken for that of a sinister warlock.

‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have accepted this lunatic?’

Aden suddenly felt regret and unease but dismissed it as his imagination.

After all, the primary functions were very useful.

“Wow! It’s so comfy!”

-Woof, woof!

Elise and Choco were already inside the carriage, bouncing on the sofa.

For reference, Choco had reverted to its original small size.

Aden chuckled.

‘I didn’t expect it could even adjust its size.’

Elise wanted to take Choco on the pilgrimage, but it was impractical to bring a dog the size of an ox in a carriage, no matter how spacious.

Elise was sulking when,

-Woof, woof!

Choco emitted a light and ‘poof!’ shrank to the size of an ordinary puppy.

Then it made a smug gesture as if saying, ‘No problem now, right?’

It was an absurd event but a happy one for Elise.

“Hohoho! Oh, Prince Aden! It’s been a while. I look forward to traveling with you.”

Vali, the highest-ranking combat monk and representative escort from the Sacred Fire Order, arrived.

He had been chosen for this escort mission due to his exceptional holy power and physical abilities comparable to an ogre.

“Please take care of us, Sir Aden.”

“Alright, but don’t overdo the escorting.”

As previously decided, Lowe joined the group as Aden’s bodyguard.

‘The bodyguard’s bodyguard, this seems amusing.’

Finally, the cat-person alchemist, Cassie, was also included.

“Hmph, what if you catch a cold or get hurt? An alchemist is indispensable for a long journey.”

Cassie, having wandered around before settling in Remes territory, was accustomed to traveling.

Moreover, having

another woman would be comforting for Elise.

“Yes, yes. I know how important an alchemist is. By the way, no smoking in the carriage.”

“Hmph. This is herbal smoke, so it doesn’t matter, handsome prince.”

“Cat lady, please take care of us!”

“Little Saint, I told you I’m not a cat.”

The group consisted of the little saint Elise, the highest-ranking monk Vali, the bodyguard knight Lowe, the alchemist Cassie, and lastly, Aden.

This group would traverse the continent.

‘And while I’m at it, I’ll prepare for my revenge.’

As Aden steeled his resolve,

Elise’s father, the alchemist Joseph, tearfully spoke.

“Sniff, Prince Aden, please take good care of our Elise.”

“You need not worry.”

It was true.

They had the church’s strongest forces, a semi-master, and Lowe, who had risen as the strongest knight of the Remes order.

No other saint on a pilgrimage had ever had such formidable escorts.

“Daddy! I’ll be back soon!”

Elise waved to her father with a bright smile.

Her relaxed demeanor made it look like she was going on a casual outing, easing Joseph’s worries.

“Alright, but keep in touch through the bracelet, my dear.”

“Yes, I will!”

Everyone had a bracelet woven from tree bark.

It was a gift from the Ent tribe.

[Bracelet of the Wind’s Blessing]

A bracelet made from the bark of the Fairy Tree, the sacred tree of the Ents.

It contains the blessing of the wind spirit, allowing the wearers to communicate with each other regardless of the distance.

Thanks to Elise, the Ent tribe, where the Fairy Tree grew, could use spirit magic again.

As a token of gratitude, they peeled the precious bark of the Fairy Tree and made this item with spirit magic.

As long as the Fairy Tree, which acted as the relay, didn’t die, they could communicate anytime with these bracelets.

It was a great acquisition.

Aden declared to everyone.

“Alright, let’s go.”

For the little saint, it was a pilgrimage filled with adventure and danger. For Aden, it was the beginning of his revenge.