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Chapter 69

“Huh...”

However, that family has been completely erased from history today.

“There’s really nothing left...”

The sacred mountain—where the main house of the Inoue family was supposedly once located—once held a mysterious atmosphere and was a place visited by countless people, with its barriers and dense forest. But now, there was not a single trace of life.

The entire mountain had become a wasteland devoid of life, the only thing left there being a giant cage.

Sitting in the center of the wasteland, the silver cage was about twenty meters high, its interior covered by black shadows. Those shadows made it hard to see what was inside, but from the way it intermittently shook, there was definitely something trapped inside.

So they sealed it rather than killing it.... It seems Gluttony had been stronger than I thought.

Imagining how the battle had unfolded, Se-Hoon observed the cage. Soon, a space next to him split open, and out came a short, silver-haired, fierce woman—Blast Dog Luize Valente.

“Ugh, this is freaking disgusting.... What the hell were those Inoue bastards doing?” the Blast Dog grumbled with a frown.

The sight of the cage had made her visibly upset.

“Is it that disgusting? It looks just like a normal cage to me.”

“Lucky you. You get to see that thing as an ordinary cage because you can’t see the sealing magic that was made by twisting tens of thousands of living humans.”

“Were those all... innocent people?”

“No. It seems like they were all affiliated with the family in some way, but it doesn’t seem like they consented to this. All I could hear were screams for help when I approached the cage.”

The cage, which could be considered elegant enough to be seen as beautiful, was apparently dirtier than anything.

“How’s the cage’s status?”

“The seal itself is fine. But, if you touch it carelessly, Gluttony might immediately burst out.”

“Hm...”

He had come to deal with the aftermath, but what could he do if there was a chance of creating unexpected variables if he touched the cage carelessly? Confused by the problem, Se-Hoon began contemplating what he should do. However, before he could figure something out, the Blast Dog tapped his shoulder.

“Just leave it be. We’re already struggling to handle the Destroyer of Moralities and the Destroyer of Seas; if that thing comes out, we’re done for.”

“Right. Let’s just stay on our guards then for now.”

Although the annihilation of the Inoue family was a heavy loss, considering that they had managed to seal the Gluttony, the most dangerous of the Ten Evils, it honestly wasn’t that big of a loss.

Switching his focus to estimating the amount of remaining allied forces, he gestured to the Blast Dog.

“Let’s go.”

“You should start speaking politely before I slam you into the ground.”

Clicking her tongue, she placed her hand on his shoulder and began preparing for a spatial warp. In the meantime, Se-Hoon took one last look at the distant cage.

Gluttony, in her human form, had been the pride of the Inoue clan with her S-tier hero status. However, when she became a demon and gained her Ten Evils status, she eradicated her entire family.

That tragic tale was the story of Erika Inoue, the human form of Gluttony.

However, while it was certainly a tragic event, for some reason, doubts about it arose when he looked at the scene before him.

Is the cage shaking because Gluttony is attempting to break out, or is it because something new is attempting to be born...?

The doubt left him uneasy, but he had no way to check. As a result, he tore his gaze away and threw away his doubts, leaving the question forever unresolved, washed away with the cage that had been taken by the tides.

***

“...”

Waking up from the memories that whisked through his mind in the blink of an eye, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes.

Was that... triggered by the Phantasmal Spyblade?

It had been far too vivid to be merely a recollection of a memory. However, he put the thoughts about the unknown reason for his trip down memory lane to the side and focused on Inoue Ren, the young man who appeared before him.

Come to think of it, the head of the family at that time was this guy.

It was commendable that he had managed to seal away Gluttony, a threat as significant as a Harbinger of Destructions, but his method that sacrificed tens of thousands of living humans as a medium for the seal was difficult to overlook.

Plus... there were those documents that said that the Inoue family was involved with Watchers.

Even taking into account that the validity of the documents read through the Phantasmal Spyblade was still uncertain, the creepy sealing spell he had seen in the past made them seem more authentic, to some extent.

Now, what should I do with this information...

But before he could finish pondering over how he should respond, Ren spoke up first, a smile on his face.

“I’ve heard a lot about you from my sister. I feel like she’s always owing you one way or another. I hope she hasn’t been too much of a burden.”

Hearing Ren’s words, Se-Hoon paused but then quickly shook his head.

“Nothing was to that extent.”

“That’s a relief. It’s embarrassing to say this myself, but my sister has quite a unique personality. I was worried she might have caused you discomfort.”

“She did sometimes... but I think those cases were all pretty mild considering everything.”

Thinking back to how he had to clean up after the Three Dogs, Erika’s antics seemed almost cute by comparison.

“...”

At that moment, he felt a slightly strange gaze from the side, but he pretended not to notice.

Ren let out a small laugh.

“You two seem to be getting along well. It’s reassuring to see that you two will probably continue to do so.”

Just like that, the conversation flowed toward a warm atmosphere, just like a typical first meeting with a friend’s family.

However, there was one thing that was still a bother.

“Ugh... cough...”

Carter Douglas was still frozen midway through his punch. He had been trying to move somehow this entire time, but it only ended up in his face becoming grotesquely twisted. His body refused to budge, completely mounted in the air.

“What on earth did he do?”

“I don’t see him use any magic or anything...”

The incomprehensible state of Cater Douglas made the surrounding students murmur in confusion.

Eventually, even Se-Hoon’s gaze turned in that direction.

“Ah, I forgot to clean that up.”

Belatedly coming to a realization, Ren lightly tapped his palm with the black dowel—a fan—that was held in his hand.

Snap-

“Ugh?!”

With a sudden snap, Carter Douglas’s previous awkward posture straightened into attention posture and then he began to walk quickly to one side of the hall.

Seeing the natural yet somehow disturbing and unsettling movements, the atmosphere dimmed and Ren grimaced.

“Sorry about that. Sometimes, there are friends who don’t know their place. It’s not easy whatsoever to manage all of them.”

“Managing people is always the hardest, isn’t it? It’s okay.”

“Thanks for understanding. Also, don’t worry, I promise this won’t happen again.”

Despite Ren’s seemingly apologetic words, the gathered students all tensed up.

Originally, the association hosting the Noblesse was supposed to be led cooperatively by its members, but ever since his sophomore year, Ren had been overseeing it as president. As such, his words meant that Carter Douglas could no longer participate in the Noblesse—forever—because of what had just happened.

“Shall we go somewhere else?”

“Sure. There’s a lot more to see over there.”

Picking up on the cues, the gathered students quickly began to disperse, and before long, the surroundings became quiet.

Seeing how Ren’s influence dispersed the crowd in the blink of an eye, Se-Hoon became slightly amazed.

He’s got them on a tight leash.

Se-Hoon initially thought that Ren was nothing more than a ringleader, but it seemed he had underestimated how tight Ren’s grip on the association was.

Meanwhile, Ren looked around at the now-empty surroundings with an awkward expression.

“It seems I’ve inadvertently caused a disturbance.”

“It’s fine. If that was enough to cause them to run away, I wouldn’t want to be too close to them anyway.”

The calm response made Ren chuckle.

“Haha, right. You are better off interacting with the right people. Impressive.”

“It’s nothing impressive...”

“No, I mean it. It’s rare to see someone who actually chooses who they associate with. Ah, well, it’s probably more accurate to say there aren’t many who can do that...”

Trailing off, Ren began wondering how many of the invitees to the Noblesse could even afford to be selective about their associations. They would need a talent that could overshadow anyone, along with a confidence befitting of it, to allow them to ignore the other’s background.

And, upon observing Se-Hoon’s attitude that implied he was such a person, Ren looked at him with renewed eyes.

“I’d like to talk more, but I have things to prepare. Let’s meet again when we have time.”

“Yes, let’s do that.”

“It was nice meeting you.”

Seeing Ren extend his hand, Se-Hoon grasped it, shaking it and nodding in agreement.

“I’m glad to have met you too.”

“See you later, then. Ah, Erika.”

At Ren’s brief call, Erika, who had been standing by Se-Hoon’s side, turned to look at Ren.

“Do you mind helping me out? There’s a lot to do.”

“...Alright.”

With a reluctant nod, she looked at Se-Hoon.

“See you later.”

“Yeah. I’ll be looking around with Jake, so come find us when you’re done.”

“Okay.”

Nodding one final time, she headed toward Ren, and the siblings moved deeper into the banquet hall.

From their brief conversation, it was clear that Ren bore goodwill toward Se-Hoon. However, while it would make most students happy that they established a good relationship with Ren, to Se-Hoon, it was far from it.

He put a curse on me with a smile on his face.

Looking down at his hand, which he had used to shake Ren’s, he sneered.

To the naked eye, his hand appeared unchanged, but thanks to Soul Honing allowing him to perfectly perceive his own body, he could feel a curse implanted there.

Sssss-

Well, it’s more of a mark than a proper curse.

Although a curse nonetheless, it was faint and made from black mist. It seemed that Ren had placed it on his palm during the handshake, supposedly for some sort of preliminary preparation for a serious curse later on. Perhaps that was the reason why it seemed secrecy and persistence had been strengthened and focused on.

Taking a moment, he pondered over its structure.

I could probably dispel it right now...

Now that he was aware of it, he could easily dispel it using Soul Honing. However, he thought that might actually be disadvantageous for him.

If he’s placing a curse on me so openly, then that must mean he’s underestimating me.

If he were to dispel the curse immediately, Ren’s evaluation of him might change, leading to Ren potentially increasing his wariness of Se-Hoon. And since Ren’s true intentions were completely unknown, it wasn’t a particularly welcome development.

Since that’s the case, let’s just leave it for now.

When dealing with such sly characters, the key thing to keep in mind was how powerful one could strike back when they let down their guard, treating them as an easy target.

His decision made, he pretended not to notice the curse, avoiding the urge to look down at his hand, and then turned to Jake.

“Let’s get going then... what are you doing?”

Seeing how Jake glanced around the hall with an uncomfortable expression, Se-Hoon gave him a curious look.

And in response, Jake made an uneasy face.

“Ah. I just feel a bit uneasy about something.”

“I could go around by myself if you’re tired.”

“No, no. It’s fine. I’ve just been a bit low on energy lately. Let’s go deeper in.”

With those words, Jake brought Se-Hoon deeper into the banquet hall, pushing forward as if fleeing from something.

This time, however, no students were approaching them thanks to Ren’s warning, allowing them to comfortably browse the surroundings. Experiencing the calm, Se-Hoon was promoted to reflect on their recent encounter.

Now that I think about it, maybe that was just him marking me.

Socializing was merely the superficial reason for attending the Noblesse. The true goal was to scout for students with talent and skills, making the Noblesse a marketplace for recruitment. And Se-Hoon belatedly realized that he had a bid placed on him during that brief encounter with Ren.

It feels like I’m being treated as a commodity, but... at least I get the chance to look around in peace.

Walking through the banquet hall undisturbed under the guidance of Jake, he was able to glance at the faces passing by. Most of them were unremarkable, but there were a few that he remembered from before the regression.

That guy was caught for corruption... and that one for contract killing. There are also those guys who got caught for blackmail and fraud, and there’s even someone who colluded with the demons...

He was able to see plenty of individuals who would later become infamous for their various nefarious deeds. However, those events hadn’t happened yet, so he couldn’t help but feel a bit deflated.

The Noblesse is more disappointing than I thought.

The students gathered were all recognized in Babel for their talents and skills. If they graduated without any issues, they were all capable of becoming A-tier heroes—just A-tier heroes.

They’re not bad, but...

Since he planned to fight the Demon Force, the Ten Evils, and the Six Harbingers of Destructions, all of whom even S-tier heroes struggled against, he needed to recruit the best of the best. And apart from the demons, he also needed to watch out for Watchers, whose plans were currently unknown. Thus, his companions needed to be at least S-tier heroes or possess equally unique abilities.

I hoped that I could find at least one person worth recruiting here, yet...

Had his expectations been too high?

He looked around, his disappointment growing.

“...Um.”

Suddenly, Jake stopped in his tracks.

“I, I have someone I need to meet quickly. Can you wait here for a bit?”

His hesitant request seemed suspicious, but Se-Hoon still nodded, guessing Jake had reasons for being so.

“Okay.”

“I’ll be right back!”

Leaving behind a puzzled Se-Hoon, Jake hurriedly ran off toward the garden outside the banquet hall.

Is he being threatened or something?

Though curious about Jake’s behavior, he continued to wander through the banquet hall alone, thinking that Jake didn’t seem to be in danger.

“Tsk...”

Very quickly, however, he also stopped wandering after finding nothing of interest. Bored, he quickly settled in a secluded spot and sipped his beverage.

I thought someone would have approached me by now...

Regardless of whether it was Ren or someone else, he scanned the hall with boredom, hoping for some interaction.

“It seems you’re bored.”

A familiar voice suddenly came from beside him.

“Can’t find anyone of interest?”

Turning his head, Se-Hoon silently stared at the neatly combed blonde young man, Vier Barmuth.

“You don’t have to answer if it makes you uncomfortable. Your expression says it all, anyway.”

Speaking as if he had never expected an answer, Vier stood next to Se-Hoon and surveyed the banquet hall.

“Everyone needs outstanding talent, but that becomes especially important when it comes to blacksmiths. At the end of the day, the reputation of their forged equipment comes not from its creator but its user.”

“...”

“Didn’t you come here for that reason, too? To see if there’s someone worthy of forging equipment for, or perhaps if there’s someone who can offer you adequate support.”

Listening to Vier talking as if he knew everything, Se-Hoon just simply sipped his drink instead of responding.

“But as you already know, such people are hard to find. Well, to be precise, those who meet your standards wouldn’t bother struggling in a place like this.”

Most of the students who participated in the Noblesse were simply those who were grasping at straws, since the talented ones were dedicating themselves to training, already having found a sponsor to back them.

“If you want a proper client, you should join hands with us. It’ll be incomparably better than being associated with some professor who might be kicked out of the department someday.”

The recruitment offer genuinely seemed sincere. Finishing his drink, Se-Hoon put the empty cup down on a nearby table.

“I have a question I want to ask first.”

Then, with a face full of genuine bewilderment, he looked at Vier and asked, “Why do you talk as if you’re not a part of them?”

“...What?”

At the unexpected question, Vier furrowed his brows, to which Se-Hoon smirked.

“In my eyes, you’re the same as them, yet you ramble on as if you’re someone special.”

“...”

“You can’t even forge decent equipment, and yet you’re here lecturing me... tsk tsk.”

Clicking his tongue, Se-Hoon looked up at Vier and then walked away, seemingly no longer interested in listening. Still speechless due to the sudden turn of events, Vier just simply watched him go.

“You can’t even forge decent equipment.”

That remark dug deep, but he clenched his fists, holding back his frustration.

Not yet...

He knew this was an opportunity that might never come again. So, suppressing his nearly bursting emotions, Vier spoke again.

“You have no eye for talent.”

At that remark, Se-Hoon stopped and turned around.

“What?”

“Let me show you. Follow me.”

Without saying anything else, Vier began leading the way. And a moment of hesitation later, Se-Hoon followed.

They soon arrived at an exhibition zone on one side of the banquet hall, still in a state of preparation and somewhat chaotic. Then, pushing through the other students, Vier moved deeper into the zone.

Following behind, Se_hoon soon noticed what appeared to be a palm-sized metal badge displayed at the center of the zone. It bore the luxurious emblem of two crossed swords, catching Se-Hoon’s eye.

Isn’t that...

Surprised by the unexpected appearance of a piece of equipment he had seen before the regression, Se-Hoon stared at it, listening to Vier’s next words.

“This is a prototype of the new alchemical piece of equipment that our family has been developing—the Iron Warden.”

Clutching the metal badge, the Iron Warden, Vier tossed it to Se-Hoon.

Thud.

“It’s made from the Hero material Ripple Crystal that is processed with our family’s alchemical forging technique. It’s incomparable to any alchemical equipment currently on the market.”

While Vier explained, Se-Hoon examined the Iron Warden.

He’s not wrong, it is overqualified by today’s standards.

While the Barmuth family’s craftsmanship might lag behind others when forging a single perfect sword, when it came to mass-producing powerful equipment, they had the upper hand.

“And this is just one of the many projects our family is working on. Joining hands with us means that you’ll have the opportunity to be involved.”

“...”

“Even this doesn’t impress you?”

Realizing that the next course of events would change depending on his response, Se-Hoon calmed down before answering Vier’s question, facing Vier’s eyes that were shining sharply.

“It’s good.”

He gave a positive response. But before the disappointment in Vier’s eyes could flicker away, Se-Hoon followed up.

“The materials, I mean.”

“You mean... only the materials are good?”

“Yes. You showing me this flaw-ridden thing with such arrogance... leaves me absolutely speechless.”

The moment the harsh assessment resounded, the expressions of not only Vier but also the other students in the exhibition zone solidified. Disparaging a prototype developed by the Barmuth family itself was different from dismissing an artifact made by Vier personally.

“Can you stand by that statement?”

Despite the warning in Vier’s question, it was met by Se-Hoon’s confident response.

“It’s nothing I can’t stand by.”

Se-Hoon’s assured reply implied that there was no chance he was wrong. Vier frowned in anger.

Idiot.

He was already aware of the significant flaw in the Iron Warden; it had only been brought to entice Se-Hoon.

He’s probably taking this as an opportunity to damage our reputation thinking that we can’t harm him here....

However, what Se-Hoon had overlooked was that the Barmuth family was prepared to sacrifice one project and suffer a hit to their reputation to eliminate him for sure.

Had you joined us, everything could have been overlooked.... Unfortunately, your arrogance has cost you everything.

The moment Se-Hoon infused the Iron Warden with mana, Vier gathered his own mana, about to detonate the Iron Warden covertly using a skill already tested on another student before—Luize Valente.

Whoosh!

But before Vier could do anything, Se-Hoon hurled the Iron Warden into the air.

Astonished by Se-Hoon’s unexpected action, everyone watched Se-Hoon infuse his mana in the Iron Warden through the strand of Black Weaver that he had attached moments before.

Mana immediately seeped into the surface, spreading cracks,

Crackle!

In the blink of an eye, the Iron Warden had been completely disassembled, its thousands of components exploded across the sky above the banquet hall.

“What the...”

Overwhelmed by the spectacle before him, Vier’s eyes widened.

“Watch closely,” Se-Hoon said with a smirk.