The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 15

Aden fell into thought after experiencing something he wasn’t sure was truly the voice of Demon Lord or just a hallucination.

‘If it were a hallucination, that would be better.’

If it was really Demon Lord’s voice, then the story would be different.

The monsters of the underground world, Talos, could not interfere with the surface world.

The only way they could influence the surface world was through contracts with humans.

As the price of the contract, a sacrifice had to be offered to Talos.

Moreover, delivering their will was also an interference with the surface world.

But how could he have heard Demon Lord’s voice?

There was no way Demon Lord had descended to the surface world already.

‘If that had happened, the world would already be on the brink of destruction.’

There was only one reason that seemed plausible.

‘It must be because of this Demon Stone.’

A small Demon Stone, the size of a pea, lay dormant inside the mana engine.

The energy emanating from that Demon Stone had increased significantly as Aden had grown.

The Demon Stone, the core of dark magic that only Talos possessed.

And Demon Lord, the lord of such Talos.

There was undoubtedly a correlation.

The Demon Stone, like a thorn under a fingernail.

It felt like that thorn was now deeper and starting to hurt more.

‘Could it be that he has recognized me?’

That he knew I killed him, that I had traveled through time and entered the body of the duke’s son.

Furthermore, he might even remember the vanished future…

‘No, there’s no end to this if I keep making assumptions.’

Only one thing mattered.

The possibility that the Demon Lord was watching him.

‘It’s horrifying.’

It was unpleasant just knowing someone was watching him.

Even more so if it was that bastard he had hated in his previous life.

Aden clenched his fist.

Then what should he do?

He had been tormented by such anxious thoughts for almost a few hours.

When his mind was on the verge of breaking, Aden realized what he had been missing.

‘Wait, why am I worrying?’

Things that couldn’t be known or solved now should be deferred until solutions appeared, while immediate issues were dealt with first.

That had been his way of living, honed from his previous life.

So why was he letting this Demon Stone and the underground lord mess with his mind?

Once he realized this, Aden found the only thing he could do.

Aden reached one conclusion.

‘I need to get stronger.’

His unease stemmed from his weakness.

If he encountered Demon Lord now, he knew his current body would be shattered by just a flick of Demon Lord’s hand.

That’s why he felt fear.

He needed to become strong enough that, even if he faced Demon Lord again, he would be confident in defeating him, just like in his previous life.

Then, naturally, his unease would disappear.

‘It’s a simple problem.’

Having reached a straightforward conclusion, Aden felt his mind clear.

He told himself firmly.

“Yes, I need to get stronger.”

So that no one could trample on him.

Instead, he would be the one doing the trampling.

* * *

The next day, there was an uproar in the duke’s household.

The eldest son, Aden, had transformed overnight.

“Oh my, son. What is this…?”

“My goodness, darling…”

“…”

His father’s jaw dropped, his mother kept repeating “My goodness,” and his younger brother, Carl, was struck silent.

They were all staring at Aden.

Aden had grown about 10 centimeters taller and his shoulders had broadened.

His already handsome appearance with black hair and black eyes now had an added allure that could make any woman’s heart flutter.

His whole body had become lean and muscular, making him a stunningly handsome man.

Aden shrugged his shoulders.

“It seems my growth spurt isn’t over yet. I think it’s because I’ve been training hard recently.”

“No matter how hard you’ve been training, this is…”

Duke Fried Remes chuckled and shook his head.

The duchess, mother of the wayward son, blinked her round eyes and asked tentatively.

“Aden, are you really my darling?”

“Yes, I am.”

At least ‘physically,’ I am.

Aden swallowed the latter part of his sentence.

It would indeed seem strange.

A person growing so much overnight.

But what could anyone do if he said he didn’t know the reason either?

They would just have to accept it.

However, not everyone was just surprised.

“Lord Aden, I sincerely congratulate you on your growth.”

When he later met Lowe, the boy calmly offered his congratulations.

He had manifested Sword Aura at the age of eighteen.

Cut off a troll’s head with it.

Cured the incurable mana blockage disease.

Aden had shown so many remarkable feats that Lowe was no longer easily surprised.

“I cannot continue to be amazed by my lord, whom I will serve for life.”

Aden frowned at Lowe’s smile, which even held a sense of pride.

Aden still felt uncomfortable with Lowe becoming his knight.

When Aden had informed his family that Lowe had sworn loyalty to him, he had expected Carl to show his usual wariness and argue with him.

But instead, Carl’s face was filled with complex emotions, not hostility, which was odd.

Aden looked at Lowe and reflected for a moment.

‘My knight…’

Absolute loyalty and all that, Aden didn’t believe in such things.

That’s why he didn’t like knights much, and thus didn’t like Lowe, who wanted to be a knight more than anyone.

Yet he had taken Lowe under his wing as a potential knight, and it felt strange.

Despite having been betrayed by trusted comrades, why had he accepted Lowe’s oath?

Aden pondered this question briefly.

However.

“Lord Aden, you don’t look well. How about going to Cassie for a check-up?”

Lowe suggested with a serious expression.

He seemed ready to carry Aden to Cassie’s workshop if necessary, making Aden laugh.

‘Yes, it’s probably because this fool is like this.’

A fool filled with longing for knighthood.

Aden had bickered with Lowe enough to know how strong his desire to become a knight was.

He couldn’t understand why someone would admire a profession that required unconditional loyalty imposed by higher-ups.

Though he couldn’t understand, he knew of Lowe’s longing, or rather, desire, which was why he could accept his oath so easily.

‘Desire is the most certain thing.’

Aden smiled faintly and shook his head, telling Lowe.

“I’m fine, so don’t worry. Besides, I need to go to the city, and you’re coming with me. Oh, and bring your friends too.”

The friends Aden referred to were Lowe’s fellow apprentice knights.

“You want to bring my comrades too? What’s going on?”

To Lowe’s question, Aden grinned.

“We need to sell some things and buy others.”

* * *

“Oh my! Is this the famous troll that the young lord personally defeated?”

Pobol Bartrum, a merchant with a goat-like beard and chubby cheeks, clasped his hands in excitement.

Before him was the giant headless body of a troll.

Next to it, the exhausted apprentice knights were panting heavily after transporting the troll’s carcass.

The troll’s regenerative power was so strong that even though it had been dead for a while, its tissues hadn’t completely died, so there was no rotten smell.

“What a fearsome sight! Indeed, this item reflects the spirit and prowess of the young lord, who has reached the Sword Aura stage! This merchant, Pobol, is moved!”

“Enough with the flattery. So, what’s the price?”

Aden, a handsome young noble with black hair and black eyes, frowned.

Pobol rubbed his hands together with a sales smile and spoke.

“With the world in turmoil, and considering that it was defeated by the famous Troll Slayer, Aden Remes, it’s hard to put a price on such a heroic achievement, but if I must…”

“If you don’t say it quickly, I’ll sell it to another merchant.”

“…1,800 gold! I’ll pay 1,800 gold!”

1,800 gold.

The price for a typical troll varied based on its condition, but it was usually around 300 gold.

Despite keeping the most important parts like the troll’s heart and blood for potion-making, the price was almost six times higher.

Pobol kindly explained.

“The young lord’s reputation adds value. The collectible value is higher than the inherent value.”

A young noble who single-handedly took down a troll.

What a sensational story.

Thus, owning the body of such a troll would attract attention in high society.

It was a good thing for Aden, who was selling it.

“But did you say the world is in turmoil recently?”

“Yes, indeed. These days, the world is quite chaotic. For instance, a fireball fell from the sky to the east at night, and monsters that never came near human settlements are now attacking villages. Truly, it’s the end of the world.”

Pobol, who was lamenting the end times, soon put on his business smile.

“In that sense, the young lord’s achievements are a great…”

“If you keep talking nonsense, I’ll sew that mouth shut.”

“I’ll keep quiet!”

It seemed that this merchant named Pobol had quite the talent for flattery.

He was trying to forge a connection with the duke’s family by flattering Aden.

“Since I’ve made a lot of money, there are some things I want to buy.”

“Yes! What do you wish to purchase, my lord?”

Aden handed a piece of paper to Pobol without a word.

Pobol blinked in confusion.

“My lord? What is this…?”

“A list of herbs.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear? It’s a list of herbs I want to buy. Pack what you have now, and for those you don’t, find them and send them to the duke’s estate as soon as possible.”

At Aden’s words, Pobol looked over the list of herbs with a smiling face…

“Gasp.”

He couldn’t help but be surprised.

What was written there were not herbs.

They were all horrific, deadly poisonous plants and toxins.

Though Pobol didn’t know, the poisonous plants Aden had obtained through Philip were just the beginning.

Seeing the list, Pobol realized.

‘The rumor that the wayward young lord collects poisons is true!’

It had been several months since Aden had Philip procure poisonous plants repeatedly.

During that time, rumors that Aden was collecting poisons had spread quietly, and before he defeated the troll, some people had even started calling him the ‘Poisonous Plant Prince.’

Though sweating nervously, Pobol forced a bright smile.

“Haha! Since our guild is quite large, we do handle many poisonous plants, I mean herbs, but there are several items on your list that we currently do not have in stock.”

“Use the money from selling the troll to procure those herbs, as much as you can, continuously. If you run short, let me know, and I’ll pay extra.”

The reason Aden sought more extreme poisonous plants than before was simple.

‘I need to start the Body Awakening Method Version 2.’

After hearing what might have been a hallucination, Aden had been contemplating how to become stronger faster.

And he remembered this.

After creating the Body Awakening Method, the great alchemist Kalsis had continued his research.

As a result, he theoretically devised a way to solidify the foundation of a body that had already activated its potential.

According to his explanation, roughly a thousand times.

If consumed approximately a thousand times repeatedly, the body wouldn’t just become tougher and more efficient in mana usage, but it could be led to a higher realm.

‘But it remained theoretical.’

The timing had been bad.

When Kalsis created the theory, it was during the height of the battle against Talos.

There was no leisurely time to savor poisons that felt like they were melting one’s tongue.

Moreover, poisonous plants were rare and expensive.

It might work if it was for one or two individuals, but it was useless for enhancing the combat power of an army.

Aden and his comrades were already too strong to benefit significantly from the help of poisonous plants.

Therefore, the theory never saw the light of day and had to be discarded.

‘Kalsis, that bastard, created this theory. It can’t be wrong.’

Though he was a traitor, Kalsis was the most trustworthy in the field of alchemy.

If he implemented this, he would surely become stronger.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Aden’s request, Pobol’s eyes shone.

‘This is an opportunity!’

A chance for a continuous business relationship, not just a one-time uncertain connection.

“I will prepare everything immediately! Please continue to utilize our Bartrum guild in the future!”

* * *

After placing the herb order, Aden returned to the Remes duchy.

But seeing the servants moving busily, Aden felt puzzled.

‘Did something happen?’

So, he grabbed one of the hurried servants and asked.

“Hey, what’s going on right now?”

“L-Lord, a guest has arrived…”

“A guest?”

At that moment, a rough voice was heard.

“Are you Fried’s eldest son? Ha, you’ve got good bones!”

Good bones.

For some reason, it felt oddly reminiscent of his first meeting with his master. Aden turned toward the voice.

‘Damn, why is that person here?’

Aden was genuinely surprised, almost exclaiming aloud.