Chapter 58: Beyond the Gate (4)

Small explosions erupted from Chloe’s projectiles. Soon, a deep green mana shimmered from the giant’s wounds.

The giant, which had been unleashing fierce attacks until just moments ago, had been crackling with sparks all over its body, increasingly stimulated by my attacks as time passed.

Its appearance surpassed the standard size of a Type 3. The giant’s attacks were ferocious and incredibly fast. The constant state of frenzy, not a temporary buff, added to its danger.

It was also three times taller than me.

‘That’s why I had to wear it down a bit.’

Chloe shouted,

“I’ve used all the poison I brought! I don’t know if it’ll kill that magical beast instantly because it’s so huge! But it should be effective enough, Count Julian!”

Chloe was right. The secret poison she usually kept hidden was a potent toxin capable of killing an ordinary Type 3 magical beast in an instant.

 

Even a trace amount of the poison that spread into the air instantly triggered my passive.

Roooooaaarr-

As expected, the effect was dramatic. As the deadly poison spread through its wounds and into its body, the giant let out a horrifying scream in agony.

The scream was so loud that the entire city hall area vibrated.

However, even that deadly poison couldn’t kill the Cyclops instantly. It seemed the poison damage wasn’t enough.

‘It’s too big, so instant death is probably impossible.’

I had to finish it off myself.

“Rest up, Chloe.”

Chloe had probably exhausted her mana with the alchemic poison attack using projectiles just now. And at my instruction, she had used all of her hidden secret poison.

She had done her part.

KABOOM!

In its agony, the giant rampaged, destroying all the earth pillars I had created. But there was no need to worry. I had plenty of mana left, and there was no shortage of materials for the pillars.

I used alchemy again.

Whoosh-

This time, I created several times more earth pillars than the ones the giant had destroyed. The giant’s single eye shook violently in bewilderment.

I stepped onto an earth pillar and leaped into the air.

“Try to hit me instead of those useless earth pillars.”

The giant’s siege hammer immediately flew towards me. But I was already gone. I stepped onto another earth pillar and quickly moved to the giant’s blind spot.

Whoosh-

The siege hammer sliced through the air again. But it wasn’t threatening. The giant had definitely slowed down. It was the effect of the poison.

‘It was a deadly poison that would have killed an ordinary Type 3 magical beast, so it’s only natural.’

Its movements seemed sluggish to me, fully immersed in the battle.

The pseudo-aerial combat using earth pillars, which I had only conceptualized and was using for the first time today, had now become completely familiar.

“Roooaaarr!!!”

The giant became extremely agitated as I dodged its attacks repeatedly. But it no longer had the same momentum as when it was in a frenzy earlier.

Speed, height, and attack power. The giant no longer held an advantage over me in any of these aspects.

It meant the end of the battle was approaching. Of course, it was tempting to be complacent, confident of victory based on that premonition.

But it seemed that the Reinhardt bloodline contained a mix of a boiling warrior’s spirit and the icy coldness of Essenmunt’s freezing winds.

I became calmer than ever.

With that cold rationality, I drew the most optimal line. The giant’s attack, once again rendered futile. In that opening, I unleashed the fifth form of my Lionheart Swordsmanship.

The tip of my sword had already pierced the giant’s eye before it could react.

Thud-

It was a thrust that poured all my remaining mana into it.

Carrying the majestic force of the Lionheart Swordsmanship, my Imperial Sword shattered the Cyclops’ head like a watermelon.

And I landed softly on the ground. Chloe’s pupils were dilated as she witnessed the final blow.

Thump. The headless giant’s body collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.

“I won. You did well too, Chloe.”

The dungeon had finally been cleared.

---

After collecting the Type 3 magical beast’s magic stone, we entered the city hall. As soon as we destroyed the dungeon core located in the central entrance hall, an escape gate appeared.

When we stepped outside, Anton and the territorial soldiers were still anxiously waiting for us in the wasteland.

At the same time, the gate disappeared. It was clear evidence that we had successfully cleared the dungeon.

The soldiers erupted in cheers.

“Count Julian of the Reinhardt family has emerged!!!”
“They succeeded in hunting the magical beasts!!! We’re all saved!!”
“The Reinhardt people are truly different!! They defeated all the magical beasts we couldn’t even touch and returned!!”
“Reinhardt!! Reinhardt!! The great Reinhardt!!”

Lord Anton, with a deeply moved expression, rushed to greet me.

“Y-You really defeated all the magical beasts! I can’t believe it! As expected of the Reinhardt’s bravery…!! You’ve worked hard!!”

Then, Anton and the soldiers all knelt before me. It was like the reaction of people who had witnessed the miracle of a mythical hero firsthand.

‘Well, I guess it’s understandable to be surprised seeing this.’

I was wearing metal armor over my combat uniform. I had been splattered with the Cyclops’ bodily fluids and blood while shattering its head earlier.

Those traces remained all over my body, vividly demonstrating my achievements. Anton raised his hands to the sky and praised me.

“It must have been an incredibly fierce battle beyond words!! But you have returned safely with the Marquis’s daughter!! Your skill is truly remarkable and heroic!!”

On the other hand, Chloe’s body was relatively clean, though slightly dusty.

Of course, Chloe had also played a significant role in clearing the dungeon, but judging by our appearances alone, it was clear that I was the one who had suffered more.

So, all the soldiers’ cheers were directed at me.

“Not only us, but the people of the territory will also sing your praises, Count Julian!!”
“Reinhardt!! Reinhardt!!”

Instead of reacting to each of these displays, Chloe simply covered her face with her fan.

We left the wasteland again. It was already late afternoon when we arrived back at Anton’s mansion.

“It’s late! It would be difficult to return to the Imperial City now. I’ll prepare a grand banquet! So please, both of you, stay at my mansion for another day!”

It was exactly what I wanted. Now that the tension and excitement of the battle had subsided, I felt exhausted. As Anton suggested, staying another day was the right decision.

After washing up, a meal was prepared in the mansion’s dining hall. It was certainly more luxurious than yesterday’s dinner.

Now that the threat to the territory was gone, it seemed they had quickly gathered all the food from the surrounding area. The number of dishes prepared from yesterday’s menu had increased.

Chloe still didn’t seem to like the food.

‘It’s a feast compared to army rations.’

Having served in the military, I was used to all sorts of terrible food. So, this was a banquet to me. There was even some meat mixed in.

After the meal, alcohol was served, and the atmosphere of the banquet became lively.

“To be honest, I thought my territory would end with my generation. The magical beasts that appeared this time were that ferocious and terrifying. Count Julian, you will be remembered forever as the hero who saved this territory!”
“You’re exaggerating, Sir Anton. It was just a Type 3 magical beast. It was nothing.”
“Such humility from someone so young! Here, this is our territory’s specialty liquor. Would you like to try a sip?”

Then, Anton whispered to me,

“Honestly, the taste can’t compare to the luxurious alcohol of the Imperial City. But it’s a liquor made with a very famous fruit from our territory.”

And he glanced at Chloe.

“Actually, that fruit is very… it blesses the relationship between men and women… it has a powerful effect in that regard.”

I quickly understood what he meant. It seemed to be a so-called aphrodisiac liquor.

 

I checked with the system, and it was true. I felt like I had discovered an unexpected treasure in this nameless, remote countryside.

“Forgive my rudeness, but the way the Marquis’s daughter is looking at you is quite unusual. Of course, I’ve heard that Count Julian is engaged to Her Highness the Princess…”

Anton narrowed his eyes cautiously.

“No one will know about a one-night stand in a remote countryside like this. Besides, I’ve heard that the young nobles of the Imperial City are quite open-minded these days. Haha. That’s why I paid extra attention to the bedding for you two tonight.”

Hmm. It seemed Anton was trying to be considerate of me in his own way. I liked the reward too. But the reason I came to the Niver territory was different.

“Then, I’ll sing a song for you, Count Julian!”

Anton abruptly stood up. I could see Chloe glaring at him as if to say, “What are you doing?”

But surprisingly, Anton was talented at singing. No, he sang very well. He was so good that I wondered if he was a bard rather than a low-ranking knight.

He heightened the atmosphere of the banquet by alternating between cheerful and melancholic songs.

And when the song ended, he started playing a horn. He was very skilled at that too.

Both the song and the melody sounded familiar to me. Judging by the reactions of the banquet attendees, it seemed to be a famous piece. Even Chloe seemed to be enjoying the music.

‘It’s probably a song composed by ‘that person’.’

When Anton finished playing, the banquet hall was filled with applause. I joined in the applause, and Chloe, who seemed to have enjoyed it unexpectedly, gave a short round of applause as well.

“Phew… I don’t sing unless it’s a banquet, so it wasn’t easy after such a long time.”
“Not at all, Sir Anton. It was quite surprising. In fact, you seem even more skilled than the bards of the Imperial City.”
“Absolutely not. Especially compared to that person…”

Anton spoke to me in a cautious voice,

“Compared to Count Julian’s father, Sir Riel, I mean.”

The bard Riel. The legendary bard with the devil’s voice. And his true identity was Julian’s father, the Demon Lord Lucifer.

“I also spent a short time in the Imperial City when I was young.”

Anton told me about his connection with Riel. As he had just shown, Anton was much more talented in music than as a knight.

He had come to the capital under the pretext of knighthood training, but Anton had been secretly immersed in the music of the Imperial City, unbeknownst to his father, the previous lord.

And 20 years ago, the most famous musician in the Imperial City was the devil’s bard, Riel.

“It was a short performance, but I once shared the stage with Sir Riel. This horn was a gift from Sir Riel as a token of our connection from that time…”

I checked the horn’s grade with the system. As expected, it was Unique.

It was also the reason I had come to Niver.

---

After the banquet, I headed to the room Anton had prepared for me. Unlike the room I had stayed in the previous night, this one had a spacious bed.

The bedding was fresh and clean. And he had lit incense he had obtained from somewhere, filling the room with a pleasant fragrance.

I had drunk quite a bit of the alcohol Anton had offered, but I had detoxified most of it with my Poison Immunity passive. However, the effects of the aphrodisiac remained, and I was feeling quite heated.

It hadn’t been long since I finished my first mission, and the excitement of the battle still lingered.

I felt my blood boiling.

‘Aphrodisiac. It’s really effective.’

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one feeling this way. Chloe, dressed in a nightgown, visited my room.

“What is it, Chloe?”

I pretended to ask, even though I had a good idea why.

“You weren’t asleep either, Count Julian. This territory’s food isn’t great, but the alcohol is surprisingly good.”

She sat down at the table in my room, crossing her legs. Her legs, revealed beneath the red nightgown, were alluring.

“I can’t sleep either. Would you like to have a drink and enjoy some games?”

On the table were alcohol, snacks Chloe had brought, and wooden blocks.

Wooden blocks and games. Chloe whispered, inviting me to play a kind of card game with her.