The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Chapter 170

The Mountain Stronghold King burst into laughter as he introduced himself.

“Wahahaha! Let me introduce myself first! I am Muscles Roidder, the man known as the Mountain Stronghold King!”

“Wow…”

Aden couldn’t help but be impressed the moment he saw the Mountain Stronghold King.

It was impossible not to be.

“Crazy, there’s actually another person with a body like Priest Bali…”

—Indeed, it is astonishing that another human like that can exist. You might even believe he’s an ogre.

His body, which seemed as if it wouldn’t shed a single drop of blood even if pricked with a needle, looked like it was carved out of a massive rock.

If only his face resembled Priest Bali’s, one might have believed they were brothers.

Aden opened his clairvoyant eyes and read the information about the man.

[Muscles Roidder]

**Race:** Human

**Age:** 38 years old

**Traits:** Monster-like Muscles, Devotee of Muscles, King of Bandits, Herculean Strength, Obsessed with Muscles, Muscle Brain, Destroyer…

**Psychological State:** Everything in the world begins with chicken breast and exercise, and ends with muscles. Muscles are the truth!

…Hmm, what is this?

These traits seem as if they’ve not only gone off the deep end but have circumnavigated the world and come back.

The information window was filled entirely with muscle-related traits.

‘No way, how obsessed with muscles is this guy?’

While Aden was at a loss for words, time continued to pass.

“Oooh! Such an extraordinary body! How magnificent!”

When the Mountain Stronghold King had initially headed towards the 18th stronghold where Aden’s group was, he wasn’t particularly impressed.

No matter how strong someone was, they would inevitably kneel before his strength and muscles.

However, upon arriving at the stronghold, he felt a surge of joy.

Until now, he had never seen anyone with muscles equal to or surpassing his own.

His eyes were fixed solely on Priest Bali as he laughed wildly.

Twitch, twitch!

The biceps, triceps, abs, pectorals, and trapezius muscles that Muscles had painstakingly cultivated all twitched and trembled as they clamored wildly.

“Wahahahaha! My muscles are calling out! True one with splendid muscles, let us fight to see which of us has the superior muscles!”

Before Priest Bali could even respond, Muscles took the initiative.

Boom, boom, BOOM!

His massive body charged forward like a wild boar.

“Where do you think you’re going!”

Priest Bali also glared, grabbing the mace he had placed beside him and swung it towards the man.

The terrifying power contained in the mace was aimed directly at the Mountain Stronghold King’s head.

If the mace landed a solid hit, it would surely be fatal, especially on a head, which is difficult to train.

Moreover, since the opponent was a vicious bandit who plundered others’ belongings, Priest Bali showed no mercy in his strike.

It was at that moment.

“Urryaaaaahhhh!”

With a tremendous shout, Muscles punched toward the descending mace.

**BOOM!**

A dull crash echoed, and an astonishing thing happened.

The fearsome mace that Priest Bali swung was instead deflected by Muscles’ punch.

“Grrr!”

A groan escaped Priest Bali’s mouth.

The force behind the mace had been so powerful that he almost lost his grip on it.

‘I was overpowered?’

Priest Bali, who was often compared to an ogre, was someone with physical abilities far beyond the norm.

For him to be overpowered by pure strength was an extremely unfamiliar experience.

“What kind of strength… Huh!”

As he looked down at his mace, the shocked Priest Bali was further astounded.

**Crack, crack.**

The iron mace, made of solid metal, was dented and cracked, as though it might shatter at any moment from the point where it had collided with Muscles’ fist.

In contrast, the fist that had clashed directly with the mace appeared unharmed.

**Whoosh!**

The fist, powerful enough to crush an iron mace with a single blow, struck Priest Bali’s abdomen.

“Ugh!”

Astonishingly, Priest Bali’s large frame was knocked back, and he was thrown to the ground about five meters away.

“Uncle Bali!”

“Hiiik! W-What, who is that beast of a man…!”

Elise and the rest of the group, including Unknown, were startled.

The sight of the massive Priest Bali being knocked away made them doubt their own eyes.

A fervent cheer erupted from the surrounding bandits.

“Oooooh!”

“There it is! Lord Muscles’ secret technique, ‘Weapon Destruction Technique’!”

“As expected of the Mountain Stronghold King!”

“Hey, I knew it! Damn it!”

Muscles, the man who could destroy an opponent’s weapon with his bare fists without using a speck of mana, burst into laughter.

“Kuhahaha! That’s what happens when you rely on tools instead of using those fine muscles! No weapon is anything more than useless scrap metal before my fists!”

Priest Bali staggered as he stood up again.

“Grrr, what is this…”

“Kuhahahahaha! To think you’re not a bloody pulp after taking a hit from my fist! You’ve got a good resilience!”

Muscles looked at Priest Bali with greed in his eyes.

There had been no one who remained so intact after taking a blow from his fist, except for the ogre from the back mountain, who was now dead.

“Good muscles indeed. Yes, I’ve decided! I’ll capture you and make you my sparring slave…!”

As the man salivated at the delightful thought, it was at that moment.

**Whoosh!**

Aden’s Aura Blade, which he had unleashed, swept towards the unsuspecting Mountain Stronghold King, engulfing him completely.

**BOOOOM!**

Muscles was sent flying.

**BOOM!** Muscles, struck by Aden’s Aura Blade, crashed through the wooden barricade of the stronghold and was flung far away.
“Shit, this crazy bastard is really going all out.”

Aden’s sword, Baalzebul, shone with a brilliant blue Aura Blade on its blade.

“M-Muscles!”

“Mountain Stronghold King…!”

The bandits were in shock.

Who was Muscles Roidder, the Mountain Stronghold King?

Wasn’t he the indomitable man who single-handedly crushed even the domain army that came to subdue them?

But now, that very Mountain Stronghold King had been blown away in a single strike, sending them into a panic.

Whether they panicked or not, Aden walked over to Priest Bali, who was staggering and barely able to stand.

“Priest Bali, are you okay?”

“Grrr… Yes, Lord Aden. I seem to have sustained some internal injuries, but they are treatable.”

“Uncle Bali! I’ll heal you!”

—Woof woof!

“…I’ve shown you an embarrassing sight, Lady Elise.”

Elise hurried over to Priest Bali and began treating his internal injuries with her Holy Power.

Meanwhile, the bandits, who had just witnessed Aden’s earlier strike, began to freeze up.

“Hey, is that…?”

“The Aura Blade we’ve only heard about?”

“W-Wait! Then does that mean…?”

“He’s a superhuman warrior? No way!”

“And he’s still so young!”

They had no idea that Aden was a Sword Master.

When the bandits first attacked, there was no need for Aden to step in, as Priest Bali and Lowe had taken care of things.

Just as the bandits realized that Aden was a Sword Master and began to sink into extreme fear—

**Boom!**

The area around the hole Muscles had blasted through in the wooden barricade suddenly exploded.

“How dare you…”

Muscles Roidder, who had been directly hit by Aden’s Aura Blade and sent flying, emerged, standing on his two feet.

“Mountain Stronghold King!”

“Muscles is alive!”

The bandits rejoiced at his survival, while Aden’s face darkened.

“…Wow, what the hell is that? Is he even human? He took that hit and is still alive?”

Aden was dumbfounded.

Of course, he had intentionally held back, thinking that this level of force would be enough to kill him.

But to come out unscathed after taking a direct hit from an Aura Blade?

That would be impossible unless one was a superhuman warrior.

Yet, through his senses, Aden knew that Muscles was far from a superhuman and was simply a muscle-bound pig with no connection to mana.

‘And yet, he’s still standing… What the hell is he?’

Of course, Muscles’ body wasn’t completely unscathed.

**Tremble.**

The man’s body was trembling.

“How dare a wretch like you…”

Muscles’ gaze was fixed on his own chest.

A sword wound had cut through the skin on his chest, causing blood to slowly seep out.

Furious, Muscles roared in anger.

“How dare a muscle-less wretch like you harm my muscles! Unforgivableeee!”

The fact that his beloved muscles, as precious to him as a lover, had been wounded sent him into a complete rage.

“I’ll kill you…! I’ll definitely kill you!”

**Boom!** Muscles stomped the ground and charged explosively towards Aden.

‘He’s fast.’

Speed in running also comes from leg strength, and Muscles, relying solely on pure leg strength without any mana, demonstrated superhuman speed.

‘What an annoying bastard.’

Aden dodged him, intending to finish the job this time by slicing his neck with his Aura Blade.

“Hiyah!”

A cute battle cry suddenly echoed from somewhere.

**Pow!** Out of nowhere, the little Saintess Elise jumped in, kicking Muscles in the side with her body cloaked in Holy Power.

Muscles took the hit directly and—

“Guwaaahhh!”

He let out a squeal like a pig being slaughtered as he was sent flying.

“…?”

“…?”

Both the bandits and Aden’s group froze for three seconds, their thoughts grinding to a halt.

Elise, standing atop the fallen Muscles’ massive body, glared with eyes like an angry kitten.

“What? Who did you say you were going to kill? Hey, say it again! You muscle pig!”

“Grr, what the…? You, you little brat…?”

“You bad pig! Die!”

“Guh! W-Wait…! Aaaaargh!”

**Wham!**

With her fists and legs enveloped in golden Holy Power, Elise mercilessly beat and kicked Muscles.

**Thwack!**

“Bandits are bad!”

“Huff!”

**Bam!**

“You hurt Uncle Bali!”

“Graaah!”

**Bam bam! Thwack!**

“You tried to hit Brother Aden!”

“Ugh, argh!”

**Bam bam bam bam bam!**

“I’m going to teach you a lesson, you bad bandit!”

“Please stop! Please forgive me! I mean, please forgive me!”

“No! Take more!”

“Aaaaargh!”

**Whack, smack!** **Thwack, bam, bam, bam bam!**

The Saintess was beating a bandit.

A giant was getting pummeled by a little girl.

The sound of Elise pounding on the Mountain Stronghold King was so refreshing and satisfying that it echoed in a way that seemed like it could provide a cool escape from the summer heat.

The distant sound of a pig being slaughtered, remixed, was a bonus service.

“…”

“…”

The bandits, Aden, and the rest of the group all fell into a deep silence.

—…What a terrifying child, Dragon Slayer King.

‘…Indeed. When did she become this strong?’

As a Saintess, Elise possessed vast amounts of Holy Power, enabling her to deliver blows as strong as a superhuman warrior’s peak strike through Holy Martial Arts.

But now, she was delivering these strikes in rapid succession, and no matter how tough the Mountain Stronghold King was, he couldn’t maintain his sanity under such an assault.

Whenever he tried to grab Elise in a desperate attempt to resist, she would nimbly dodge his hands and continue the beating.

“She’s even targeting only the most painful spots…”

The solar plexus, the ribs, the Adam’s apple, and a certain part of a man’s anatomy, among others.

She was focusing on the most difficult-to-train and painful areas, while also avoiding critical points just enough to not kill him.

Her skill was so remarkable that it seemed as though she had spent her entire life beating people up.

He had only taught Elise how to grapple, but he had no memory of teaching her such terrifyingly precise striking techniques.

‘Is she doing this instinctively, or does she know what she’s doing?’

Whether instinctual or intentional, both were frightening.

“One more hit to go!”

“Guwaaaaah!”

**Thud.**

The king of the bandits, Muscles Roidder, who ruled and conquered dozens of mountain strongholds, finally passed out after being beaten to a pulp by a little Saintess who was smaller than his waist.

Elise, having vented all her anger, took deep breaths, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

Then, she turned to Aden and smiled brightly, as pure and cheerful as could be.

“Brother Aden! I taught him a lesson for you! Hehe!”

“…Yeah. Well done. That was impressive.”

“Hehe! Thank you!”

“Uh, um… How about wiping off the blood on your cheek first?”

“Oh! Really?”

Sweat naturally formed on Aden’s forehead.

Seeing the little Saintess calmly wiping the blood off her face and smiling bashfully, Aden made a serious decision.

‘I need to buy her more ice cream later.’

Aden realized just how terrifying the little Saintess could be when she got angry.

Thus, he resolved to be careful not to awaken the little devil inside her.