The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 22

Aden was a mercenary.

Even now, as the dissolute son of a ducal family, his essence had not changed.

What was important to a mercenary before heading into battle?

Preparation.

Considering even the slimmest possibility, preparing for it, and using any method—no matter how brutal—as long as it was effective.

Because of this, Aden had pushed Cassie to make the White Devil’s Flame Potion before coming to the fortress.

He made as many as three hundred bottles.

This was the true nature of the baggage he had Philip load.

Aden had the soldiers bury the potions in the ground of the fortress’s front yard.

A troll’s body was heavy.

A human’s weight wouldn’t break the potion bottles.

But what would happen if a horde of trolls, each over three meters tall, stepped on them?

The results were now on display.

“Traaaaraaah!”

“Tiilararaah!”

Trolls screamed as they were engulfed in flames.

Aden watched and smiled like a devil.

The White Devil’s Flame clung tenaciously to their skin, burning relentlessly.

The trolls struggled to extinguish the flames on their bodies.

In their panic, they stumbled into the orcs, spreading the fire further.

It was absolute chaos.

Atilla Fortress seized this opportunity.

Aden shouted loudly.

“Open the gates…!”

The firmly shut gates opened.

“Charge! Everyone, charge!”

* * *

“Goodness.”

Listening to Aden’s cry, Carl couldn’t help but be surprised.

– If you’re a man with balls, hold your ground, you bastards!

Such rough language, like that of a local thug.

There wasn’t a shred of noble dignity in his words or actions.

However, every move, expression, and tone provoked the soldiers, stirring their anger.

He naturally channeled that anger toward the enemy.

Boosting morale.

Carl was astonished that his brother had managed to instantly uplift the soldiers’ spirits—a task difficult even for veteran commanders.

‘Experienced.’

Carl felt charisma from Aden akin to that of a seasoned general who had spent years leading his troops.

He forgot that his brother was only eighteen.

Was that really his brother, Aden?

Who would call him a dissolute fool after seeing this?

The past image was long gone.

He had the power to captivate people.

Carl felt himself getting swept up in the atmosphere as well.

“Traaaaraaah!”

“Tiilararaah!”

The trolls screamed as they burned.

In the midst of it, Aden laughed like a devil.

It was an unexpected monster wave.

A battle everyone deemed unwinnable.

They all said they had to abandon the fortress and the people.

But only his brother had said they could win.

To prove this, the trolls and orcs were now screaming.

It was all due to his brother, Aden.

He was creating a miracle.

Carl’s heart surged.

The feelings he had denied and turned away from were bubbling up like a flood.

Respect.

Carl had no choice but to acknowledge that he respected his brother.

“Damn it.”

It was truly infuriating.

* * *

“Charge!”

As soon as Aden’s shout ended, the soldiers poured out through the gates.

“Waaaaah!”

“Let’s goooo!”

To shake off their fear, they screamed almost as loudly as the monsters.

The soldiers, like a spear, plunged into the disordered horde of trolls and orcs, thanks to the chaos caused by the White Devil’s Flame.

“Die, orcs!”

“Hold the line! Stand firm!”

The soldiers repeatedly shouted Aden’s words to reassure themselves.

In fact, except for the knights, there were no soldiers capable of taking down orcs, let alone trolls.

But they didn’t retreat.

They moved swiftly according to the plan.

“Throw!”

Some soldiers threw metal nets over the orcs’ heads.

“Kraaak!”

“Ktraa, Ksharak!”

The orcs struggled within the nets.

The soldiers seized this chance.

“Aim for the legs! The young lord said to target the tendons!”

Groups of five or more soldiers attacked an orc’s legs, bringing it down.

“Throw it!”

Elsewhere, knights swung chains with hooks and flung them at the trolls.

“Inser! Gatraah!”

The trolls’ limbs were ensnared by the hooks.

“Pull…!”

The soldiers joined forces with the knights to pull the chains, restraining the trolls’ movements.

They were holding their own quite well.

It was only natural, given the chaos caused by the White Devil’s Flame Potion.

However, they still couldn’t match the trolls and orcs in numbers and strength.

“Kaaah!”

A soldier was sent flying by a troll’s arm.

“Aaaah! My arm…!”

Another soldier screamed and fell, his arm severed by an orc’s blade.

Many others suffered severe injuries.

All they could do was hold on with all their might.

But that was enough.

A knight restraining a troll with a chain yelled desperately.

“Young lord! Now!”

Only a swordsman wielding Sword Aura could cut through the tough skin, muscles, and bones of a troll.

As soon as the knight shouted, Aden charged at the troll like a beast.

“Kraaaah!”

The troll’s body was still being devoured by the White Devil’s Flame, its skin endlessly regenerating and burning.

Aden leaped toward the troll’s neck.

Swoosh!

He sliced off the troll’s head.

The blue Sword Aura shimmered around his sword, Baalzebul.

The combination of the ‘Troll Slayer’ achievement and the cutting power of Sword Aura made it easy for Aden to decapitate the troll.

Thud.

The troll’s massive body collapsed.

The faces of the knights and soldiers lit up.

“We did it…!”

But it was too soon to relax.

– Arararal, Araaarala.

From somewhere, a low, singing voice was heard.

But it wasn’t a song; it was a chilling, monotonous sound.

A song that made one’s skin crawl.

It was the High Troll Shaman’s chant from behind the orc and troll army.

A sinister smile spread across the High Troll Shaman’s grotesque face.

Jingle!

The sound of bells echoed.

Then, something strange happened.

The headless troll’s corpse began to rise.

Its blood, which had been scattered, flowed back into the body.

The troll’s head floated in the air and reattached itself to its neck.

Sizzle.

The troll’s neck started to regenerate rapidly.

The soldiers screamed in terror.

“It’s sorcery! The troll is coming back to life!”

This was the terrifying aspect of the High Troll Shaman.

The overwhelming regenerative power was shared with the subjugated trolls, reattaching severed parts through telekinesis.

They didn’t die even when killed. This was why the gray, undying legion was so frightening.

However, Aden was not worried. He hadn’t caused this situation without a countermeasure.

With a powerful thrust, Aden drove Baalzebul into the troll’s heart.

< 12.1% achieved.>

The semi-awakened Baalzebul craved life force. The sword sucked the life force from the sacrificed troll.

As a result, the troll’s body shriveled and lost vitality.

It was a complete death.

– Watuuka…!

The High Troll Shaman’s face was filled with shock. The mental link through which it controlled its subordinates was completely severed due to the death.

This troll would never rise again.

– Kurrtilaah!

Another troll swung its fist at Aden from the side.

Aden rolled to avoid the attack.

“Ugh.”

However, he was slightly grazed and wounded.

But Aden was not worried.

Ssssss.

Aden’s wound began to heal slowly.

Regeneration, a power he gained by implanting regenerative mana into his mana core, continuously healed and revitalized Aden’s body.

At least, he wouldn’t die from injuries.

He counterattacked by slashing the troll’s neck from behind.

<42.8% achieved.>

That troll also became sustenance for Baalzebul.

‘As expected, trolls have abundant life force.’

He didn’t need to go out of his way to find other monsters.

However, to kill a troll in his current state, Sword Aura was essential, and Aden, with his limited mana, felt his mana depleting.

Pop.

Whenever that happened, Aden drank a mana potion made from the blood of a troll he had previously killed to replenish his mana.

Aden had prepared a substantial amount of mana potions, allowing him to fight madly, scattering Sword Aura.

Normally, consuming so many mana potions and using them immediately would put a strain on the body, making it dangerous.

However, thanks to his newly reconstituted body and Aden’s excellent mana control, he could fight without any issues due to the regenerative mana constantly restoring his body.

One by one, trolls’ heads were cut off, ensuring they would never rise again.

“The young lord! He is killing the trolls, the undying legion!”

“Fight! We have the Troll Slayer!”

The noble who could kill trolls was fighting ahead of them. What was there to fear from mere orcs?

Seeing a seemingly superhuman figure, the soldiers’ morale soared ever higher.

The soldiers turned valiant, not just holding their ground against the orcs but sometimes even pushing them back.

Boom, boom.

“Hmm?”

Amid the commotion, some soldiers turned their heads at the noticeable vibrations.

Finally, he moved.

Ding-a-ling—!

The sound of bells rang out.

The master and culprit of the troll horde—the High Troll Shaman.

He was furious upon seeing the scattered troll corpses.

– Inser…! Gata, Masahar!

Humans! How dare you harm my subordinates!

With these words, the High Troll Shaman raised his staff and chanted a strange song.

Woosh, thud—!

Several fireballs appeared in the air and shot toward Aden.

Aden quickly dodged the fireballs.

Boom!

The fireballs hit the ground and exploded, sweeping away the unfortunate orcs nearby.

– Kaaah!

– Ksharaak!

Leaving the orcs’ deaths behind, Aden prepared himself.

‘The master is finally stepping in.’

High Trolls.

They were in a different league compared to other trolls.

While other trolls were around three meters tall, this one stood over four meters.

The bizarre staff it held was enormous, like a giant beam.

‘It’s definitely him from my past life.’

A troll shaman specialized in handling fire. Even the White Devil’s Flame was ineffective against it due to its specialized fire-handling abilities.

In his past life, he had fought this troll tirelessly, almost resulting in mutual destruction.

What would happen if he fought this troll head-on in his current state?

‘I might die.’

There was a high chance he would die.

So, there was only one thing he could do now.

‘Endure.’

Just endure a little longer, and an opportunity would arise. If everything went according to plan.

Aden’s eyes gleamed with determination.

Whoosh—!

This time, the High Troll swung its fist.

Reading its movement, Aden ducked slightly and dodged, aiming to stab Baalzebul into the troll’s abdomen.

But he failed.

‘This guy is reading my movements too.’

Just as he predicted the troll’s movements, the troll also predicted his movements and blocked them.

Unlike other trolls who acted on instinct, this one could think and strategize.

This was the terrifying aspect of the High Troll.

But that also meant…

‘It can only act predictably.’

The High Troll swung its fist again.

Aden’s movements instantly doubled in speed, dodging the High Troll’s attack.

Aden stalled for as much time as possible.

During this process, he used all three daily uses of the Ring of Swiftness.

If that wasn’t enough, he used his sword as a shield to deflect the impact and endured.

In the process, Aden’s body became a mess.

He sustained more damage than the regenerative mana could heal.

Thanks to this achievement, his injuries were somewhat mitigated.

Blood flowed from various places, and his bones were cracked.

His entire body screamed in pain.

However, Aden’s eyes shone even brighter.

– Mitallakan!

The High Troll Shaman, seeing Aden, gnashed its teeth and called him a ‘mad dog’ in troll language.

Mad dog?

Aden let out a dry laugh.

Who else in the world had ever been called mad by a troll?

Sure, he admitted he was a bit crazy.

Throughout the war, he had fought Talos monsters for years, slaughtering them.

He had charged alone at monsters that even a hundred knights couldn’t defeat.

Such feats could only be done by someone insane.

How long had he clung to the High Troll like a mad dog?

A crisis struck.

The troll roared and swung its staff.

Whoosh!

A formidable power that would pulverize his bones if it hit.

‘It’s fast.’

Too fast to dodge.

The Ring of Swiftness was already used up.

He had only one option—to block and deflect the impact.

Aden braced himself to the extreme and held Baalzebul horizontally as a shield.

Bang!

But the moment Baalzebul and the staff collided, the shock sent Aden flying far away.

“Ugh!”

Aden rolled on the ground several times, spitting blood as he got up immediately.

Despite deflecting the impact as much as possible, his body was a wreck.

On the other hand, Baalzebul, which took the direct hit, was still sturdy without a single nick.

‘As expected of one of the 72 Demon Swords.’

Despite the fleeting thought, the situation was dire.

– Kurruaah!

The High Troll Shaman summoned nearly a dozen fireballs, intending to burn Aden completely.

Fireballs surrounded him from all sides, leaving no escape route.

A desperate crisis.

But at that moment.

– Orkraaaah…!

A loud roar imbued with mana echoed.

The soldiers, trolls, and orcs all turned their attention to the source.

At the origin of the roar were two figures.

“Well, well, you all look terrible. But at least we’re not too late?”

One was the visibly exhausted Tiried Sedus, covered in blood.

The other was a large orc, a head taller than the others, covered in scars.

The orcs gasped upon seeing the scarred orc.

– Sha, Shasharak!

– Shararak Kseerek!

“Chieftain! The chieftain has returned!” they shouted.

The scarred orc, who had been captured at the trolls’ base, was the orc chieftain.

With blazing eyes, the orc chieftain glared at the trolls and shouted, his voice thunderous.

– Orkraaa, Trahaaa!

Comrades, avenge us!

Hearing these words, the orcs’ eyes changed.

Aden barely suppressed his urge to cheer.

‘I’m alive.’

Aden had asked Tiried Sedus for a favor—to find and rescue the orc chieftain and children who were likely captured at the troll base.

Now, the orcs had no reason to follow the trolls.

‘Orcs are a warrior race.’

A warlike race that revered combat and valued honor above all.

It was unbearable for them to have their pride trampled by their enemies, the trolls, and fight as slaves.

But now that the chieftain they had endured such humiliation for was free, what would the orcs do?

Aden heard their answer.

– Trolol, Raka Trahaa!

Avenge the trolls in blood!

The surviving hundred or so orcs charged at the remaining trolls.

Aden thought to himself.

It was standard strategy to face a legion with another legion.

But what if your side’s legion was smaller?

‘You create allies within the enemy’s ranks.’

Internal strife.

Aden smiled grimly at the sight.