The Hero Becomes the Duke’s Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest
Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 29

Despite the commotion, the guild master had not shown up.

No one stopped Aden from climbing the stairs to the upper floor.

Vero guided Aden to the guild master’s office at the top of the third floor.

“This is the guild master’s room.”

“Is that so?”

Bang!

Aden immediately kicked the door open, breaking it down.

“Heeek?”

“Damn, he’s here already!”

Inside, a fat man overloaded with gold, silver, and medicine boxes, and a frail-looking middle-aged man packing bundles beside him, were startled.

Recognizing Aden’s strength, they had prepared to flee as soon as their subordinates were beaten.

Aden asked Vero.

“Who is the guild master?”

“T-that man. The other is the deputy guild master.”

The person Vero pointed to was the fat man.

“Damn it!”

A cornered rat bites the cat.

The guild master grabbed the sword hanging on the wall and…

Whoosh!

He swung it towards Aden.

The sword glimmered faintly with a blue haze, a Sword Aura.

In that instant, Aden also wrapped his sword with a Sword Aura and struck back.

Boom!

The guild master’s sword shattered into pieces, and the fragments all flew back at him.

“Aaaargh!”

The guild master, flung back by the recoil, fell bleeding to the floor.

“Is that what you call Sword Aura? Pathetic.”

The guild master, trembling in pain like a pig at the slaughterhouse, shouted.

“W-what do you want from us? What on earth…!”

A monstrous man who suddenly barged in and destroyed all the guild members.

A warrior of this caliber usually lived a life of luxury, favored by the nobility.

But who on earth was he to come in so unexpectedly?

‘Who is this monster?!’

Aden looked at the guild master with cold eyes.

That gaze sent chills down the guild master’s spine.

“Take me to where Joseph’s daughter, Elise, is.”

* * *

Shandalkan, the deputy guild master of the notorious criminal guild Cerberus.

He was content with his position.

He had enough subordinates to order around, enough power, and enough side profits from simple guild management.

Though it wasn’t pleasant, tolerating the whims of the ugly fat guild master was doable.

He once thought he could enjoy life in peace, diligently doing his duties and retiring to a leisurely life.

Until a crazy Sword Aura swordsman appeared and wrecked the guild.

The deputy guild master and the guild master led Aden to the basement.

“Heek!”

“L-let’s get out of the way.”

The Cerberus guild members who had been struck by Aden cautiously moved aside as he passed by.

“When did you bring Joseph’s daughter here?”

“Well, about three weeks ago…”

Three weeks. It could be considered short or long.

Entering the basement, Aden frowned.

A stifling smell and a bleak atmosphere.

Behind the iron bars, people were locked up, their eyes vacant and lifeless.

“Those here are all our guild’s debt slaves.”

People who lost their wealth to gambling, those who couldn’t repay borrowed money, and even those like Joseph, who were forced into debt and taken as hostages.

Except for the last case, the others were likely to be sold to places like mines.

The guild master, looking like a blood-soaked pig, led them to the end of the basement. He pointed to one side while glancing at Aden.

“J-Joseph’s daughter is in there.”

They stopped and pointed to a solitary cell with a thick iron door, unlike the other cells.

Aden frowned at the sight.

“She’s in here?”

It was not a place to lock up a sane child.

It was a solitary cell suitable for a serious criminal.

And they had locked a young girl in such a place?

Deputy guild master Shandalkan made an excuse.

“T-the thing is, she’s not an ordinary girl…”

Shandalkan recalled the incident.

His subordinates, who underestimated the girl, were beaten to a pulp and barely managed to drag her in.

‘We sent four men, and two came back with broken bones, and one was in critical condition.’

Her temperament was as sharp as a wildcat’s, so they locked her up in the solitary cell to make her docile.

‘Is she a bit more docile now?’

Shandalkan tightly closed his eyes and turned the key.

Clank.

The solitary cell door opened.

It was too dark inside to see anything.

Whoosh!

Something suddenly shot out from inside, aiming for Shandalkan’s face.

“Aaagh!”

Shandalkan quickly dodged the object.

Bang!

The object hit the wall and fell to the floor with a loud noise.

Crash, bang!

“Heek.”

“Ugh…”

Shandalkan and the guild master’s faces turned pale.

The impact had left a deep dent in the wall.

Aden checked the object that had flown out.

‘A tray?’

It was a round metal tray.

The inside of the solitary cell was too dark to see clearly.

The guild master cautiously called out.

“L-little girl. Come out. You can go home now…”

Then, a cracked voice of a girl came from the darkness.

“Go home…?”

Aden spoke towards the inside of the solitary cell.

“It’s Joseph’s request to take you out of here.”

“…”

But Elise remained silent in the darkness.

Something felt off.

After a moment, a voice came.

“It was dark… It was cold.”

A deep emotion was evident in the trembling voice of the child.

Joseph’s daughter, Elise, emerged from the solitary cell.

Curly blond hair and blue eyes.

A cute-looking face.

But…

“I’ll kill you.”

Her eyes were filled with a chilling, fierce murderous intent.

In an instant, Elise lunged at the deputy guild master.

The small girl’s fist struck Shandalkan’s solar plexus.

Thud!

With an unbelievable force for a child.

“Urgh!”

He clutched his solar plexus and collapsed.

Elise then charged at the guild master.

Tap.

However, Aden held Elise to restrain her.

“Let go! Let go of me!”

Elise struggled, hitting Aden’s arm.

Feeling the sting in his arm, Aden was surprised.

‘She’s strong?’

The small child’s punch carried more impact than that of an average adult male.

Suddenly, Curss’s amused voice was heard.

-Oh. This child seems to have taken the “Hwandan.” Mana is accumulated in her body.

Only then did Aden realize.

A faint but refined mana surrounded Elise’s body.

It was a level of mana sufficient for enhancement.

‘No wonder.’

However, it was not enough to overpower Aden’s enhanced strength.

Elise struggled in Aden’s grasp.

“Let go! I’ll kill him! I’ll kill him with my own hands!”

Joseph’s daughter continued to lash out venomously, her eyes filled with tears.

Aden could understand her emotions.

It had been three weeks.

She had been locked up in solitary confinement for three whole weeks, a place that could drive even a sane person mad.

A girl like her, trapped in such a dark solitary cell, couldn’t possibly stay mentally sound.

Fear and hatred would have piled up, layer upon layer, until this innocent child genuinely wanted to kill someone.

Aden did not dismiss this.

“I understand.”

It was instantaneous.

Aden released his grip and drew his sword in one swift motion.

Then he slashed the guild master’s legs.

“Aaaargh!”

With his thigh tendons severed, the guild master fell to the floor, writhing in pain.

Shwick! Shwick!

Aden swung his sword again, this time cutting the tendons in the guild master’s arms.

“Aaaargh! Why? Aaargh!”

His cries of pain, confusion, and injustice were loud and pig-like.

Aden, finding the noise annoying, took out a piece of cloth and gagged the guild master’s mouth.

“Mmph! Mmmph!”

“That’s better.”

He then approached Elise, who was frozen in shock after witnessing the man being cut.

“That guy is the leader here. He’s the one who ordered them to capture you.”

He took the girl’s hand and placed a dagger in it.

Then he guided the blade to a spot on the guild master’s chest.

“The heart is here. Stab it with all your strength.”

“…!”

“Mmmph! Mmmph!”

The guild master, hearing Aden’s words, struggled desperately to survive.

Thud!

Aden kicked the guild master’s head.

“Ugh…!”

“Shut up and stay still.”

Elise did not move as Aden instructed.

She just trembled, looking at the dagger in her hand, overwhelmed.

It seemed she had not expected Aden to push her so actively.

Watching her, Aden asked in a cold voice.

“Was it just talk when you said you’d kill him?”

“B-but…”

“Do as you please. But know this.”

Aden advised Elise.

“If you keep that mindset, if you remain a weak victim, that dagger will one day aim at another heart. It could be yours.”

Aden’s voice continued.

“It could also be aimed at your father, Joseph.”

“…!”

At that moment, Elise’s eyes widened as if she had been struck.

“I’ll leave the choice to you. What will you do? Will you forgive him?”

Forgive him?

Aden’s question lingered in the child’s ears.

“Even if you don’t kill him, I will eventually. Do as you wish if you want to let your prey go.”

After a moment, the trembling of her hand holding the dagger stopped.

The girl’s mouth opened.

“No.”

Her previously shaky, weak gaze turned steely.

The guild master, who had been struggling, froze when he met Elise’s eyes.

They were filled with a dense, chilling murderous intent.

“No forgiveness.”

Stab.

The dagger plunged deep into his chest.

The guild master screamed.

“Mmmmph!”

Blood poured from his chest as he writhed, tears and snot mixing as he cried in fear of death.

However, he soon convulsed and the light faded from his eyes.

Elise watched the scene without blinking until the guild master’s corpse grew cold.

As time passed and the guild master’s body became cold, the fierce energy in Elise’s eyes gradually subsided.

“Sniff. Sob.”

The girl began to sob.

Then she cried out loudly, “Waaaah!” releasing all her pent-up anger and sorrow.

Aden watched Elise silently, offering no comfort.

Watching this, Curss chuckled.

-You take on the role of a villain. Your soft heart remains the same, Dragon Slayer King.

“…”

Aden frowned silently, annoyed by Curss’s keen insight.

The Elise he saw was filled with hatred and poison, but also had eyes trapped by fear and victimhood.

As a mercenary, he had seen many people, so he knew.

If left in that state, the child would take a long time to escape the consciousness of being a ‘victim.’

The sorrow and fear of the nightmarish memories would haunt her every moment.

Whether it took years or decades, it was uncertain if she would ever break free.

But by taking the life of the one who oppressed her, her trauma would shift from being a ‘victim’ to being a ‘perpetrator’ of murder.

Although it was just shifting the trauma, she could recover faster than if she remained a victim.

‘People can forget what others did, but they are lenient about what they did themselves.’

Though it would be difficult at first, she would be able to stand up again.

Her tears were proof of that.

Tears mixed with anger, fear, and a sense of relief.

Aden waited quietly beside Elise until she cried herself out.

* * *

In front of the Cerberus Guild’s main gate.

“Thank you! Thank you so much!”

“I will never forget this kindness!”

“Thank you! Sniff, I will never use loan sharks again!”

The people Aden freed expressed their gratitude repeatedly with tearful voices.

They were all the people who had been locked up in the basement.

Although there was no particular reason to save them, since he was rescuing someone, he decided to give others a chance too.

They left one by one, expressing their gratitude until their backs ached, each carrying a pouch of gold coins Aden had taken from Cerberus.

“Sniff, my money…”

Shandalkan, who had lost both his debt slaves and the guild’s funds, wept bitterly.

Meanwhile, Aden was satisfied as he looked at his hefty money pouch.

‘Pretty profitable.’

Although the ducal family had plenty of money, unexpected windfalls were always welcome.

Aden turned to Shandalkan.

“Hey, you.”

“Yes!”

Despite his misery, Shandalkan stood at attention, wanting to keep his life.

Aden was holding the sleeping Elise in his arms.

Aden spoke coldly.

“If you ever think of taking revenge on me or Joseph for this…”

“No, never! How could I do that against a Sword Aura swordsman? Hahaha…”

He couldn’t understand how that poor alchemist Joseph could hire a Sword Aura swordsman.

But it was clear that even provoking him could erase the guild from existence.

“I will make sure none of my guild members go near Joseph’s family!”

“Good, because if you do…”

Aden glanced at the guild’s internal counter.

The deputy guild master’s face turned pale.

On the counter was the former guild master’s head, preserved in a jar with strong alcohol.

“You understand?”

There was no need for a subject; the meaning was clear.

The new guild master, Shandalkan, swallowed nervously and nodded, sweating coldly.

“Of course.”

Watching this, Curss clicked his tongue in Aden’s mind.

-If you were born in Talos, you would have achieved great success, Dragon Slayer King.

Of course, Aden ignored the nonsense.