Chapter 188

I started regretting telling Lord Damian not to come. Given the nature of the place, it was inevitable that people, from drunkards to troublemakers, would pick fights. And he responded to all of them with violence.

“Good… go ahead and keep yapping. If you lost that idiot here, give up on finding him and just check the slave market…? Let’s see if your smug eyes keep talking after I pluck them out, or if you’ll be too terrified to speak… Sounds like an interesting experiment, doesn’t it?”

Blood was everywhere.

“And you, you told me to leave anything valuable behind, then pointed a weapon at the doctor over there and the young fool he was with. Unfortunately, I don’t have anything valuable on me right now—just a valuable skill. So, I’ll pay you with my talent for slicing people open instead.”

Even after centuries of medical practice, the scene was enough to turn anyone’s stomach.

“…Looks like she’s not on this street.”

“The sun’s about to set. This is bad. If Lady Camelian finds out, she’ll chop me into pieces.”

“No… I should worry about my own neck first.”

“Huh?”

Then, *clang!* The sound of a spear and sword clashing echoed.

Lady Rachel suddenly swung her twin swords at us, and both Aila and I were so startled we nearly fell backward. But Lord Damian, the actual target, remained perfectly calm, as if nothing had happened.

“…I warned you to silence your movements when attacking from behind. Didn’t I repeatedly tell you that Lady Glacia, your mother, was severely injured because she didn’t know how to attack silently? Your training is lacking. Start over from the beginning.”

“How could you lose your sister! I heard everything! You were looking for Violet because you lost her! You know she falls asleep anywhere, and you still couldn’t keep an eye on her? And in this dangerous slum area? Are you out of your mind?”

Losing Lady Violet was entirely my fault. So, I had to clear up the misunderstanding first.

“Lady Rachel, losing Lady Violet was entirely—”

At that moment, Lord Damian covered my mouth.

“Blame the fool who couldn’t hold onto her properly. Why are you suddenly blaming someone else now?”

“How dare you act so shamelessly after messing up…!”

“Do you think arguing with me will help find that fool? It’s just a waste of time. I have no reason, time, or patience for this pointless bickering.”

“Well…”

“I wanted to hold back, but letting this escalate further is just troublesome. I have no choice.”

Damian pulled out a magic book identical to the one Lord Werner had. Enok, was it? It looked like a plain book at first glance.

[Unseal the chapter, Enok. It’s time for a deal. Take a part of my soul.]

So, this was the infamous dark magic I’d only heard about. In my 300 years of life, I’d only read or heard about it—never seen it in action.

There are two ways to use dark magic with a soul as the price. The first is the most common: gradually letting a demon’s personality erode your own soul. It’s powerful and easy, but… eventually, you forget all love and friendship, becoming a hollow shell of a person. Most dark sorcerers choose this path because the price seems light compared to the power gained. They care more about power than petty emotions.

The second method is one no dark sorcerer in history has ever chosen. It involves accepting a demon’s entire soul into your own and wielding its power. But the cost is immense: excruciating pain, severe lifespan reduction, the risk of instant death during use, and your body transforming into a demon’s. To be precise, some have tried it, but they either died immediately or went insane.

Given that Damian had changed, he must have chosen the first method. There’s no way he could have chosen the second and remained sane.

[Malphas, servant of the black wings, locate the prey.]

A flock of crows suddenly appeared and flew off in unison.

“Hmm, the adventurer’s guild in the slums? Most of them take on odd jobs or tasks others avoid…”

“Adventurers…?”

A wave of anxiety hit me again. I handed Aila over to Damian and immediately ran off.

Just the thought of Violet being with those trashy adventurers made my anxiety grow. If those adventurers had even a shred of conscience, they wouldn’t burn down civilian villages. They’d burn hospitals full of patients and kill defenseless people while laughing. That’s the kind of adventurers the Empire has…

And what about the Empire’s knights? They preach honor, yet they spread plagues to win wars without hesitation. I joined the Empire to follow orders and Lord Werner, but… I hate this Empire more than anyone. The capital, built on the corpses of my daughter, wife, and villagers, their blood staining the flags, disgusts me to the core.

I frantically opened the door to the adventurer’s guild. If anyone had harmed Violet, I was ready to cut their throat on the spot.

“Too late.”

Damian had already arrived before me, running at full speed, and was cradling Violet on his lap, letting her sleep. I, still catching my breath, asked,

“Haa… haa… How did you get here so fast…?”

“The slums haven’t been developed much, so the layout hasn’t changed much over time.”

Why does a noble young master know the slums’ geography so well? I wanted to ask, but I knew he’d just say he had no obligation to answer.

“I’ve already paid the reward for finding and protecting the child.”

“Haa… Protecting her…?”

“One of the adventurers here found this fool collapsed in the middle of the street and brought her to the guild’s doctor. Luckily, she was just asleep. Some idle adventurers went to the market to look for her guardian. We just missed each other.”

“Ah, I see…”

I felt ashamed for jumping to such a ridiculous conclusion. No, it wasn’t even a conclusion. I’d judged and decided based on my personal experiences, projecting my biases onto people I’d never met.

To think I’d carry such prejudices… I might be unfit not just as a doctor, but as a father and husband too.

I handed a pouch of money to the guild’s receptionist.

“This is separate from what he gave. Consider it a fine, if you will. Please distribute it among the adventurers.”

“Sure, but even without this, they’d be happy just knowing the child found her guardian.”

“Really…?”

“Most of the adventurers here had rough upbringings. Just knowing the child is safe is enough to make them happy.”

“I see…”

It seems I was the only one tangled in my own mess. Maybe I need to change my old, jaded perspective.

“But what about Lady Aila and Lady Rachel…”

Both Aila and Rachel had followed us, but neither was familiar with the slums’ layout. I was worried, but I figured Damian would have either brought them along or shown them the way…

“Ah.”

It took Damian, me, and the adventurers from the guild to finally find Rachel and Aila, who had gotten lost in the slums.

And the moment Rachel saw Damian, she kicked him. Damian, knowing he was in the wrong, didn’t block or dodge.

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“So, you were supposed to buy preserved food and other supplies, but you spent the money and didn’t buy anything?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

This crazy doctor was bragging about it as if it were an achievement. Clearly, something was wrong with his head. And as a doctor, it was my duty to treat this abnormality—and I knew exactly how to do it.

“Hey, Ares.”

“Yes?”

“Ever heard of a tombstone piledriver?”