The Hero Becomes the Duke's Eldest Son

Translator: Marctempest

Editor: Rynfinity

Chapter 199

After the commotion in the great forest had subsided, the carriage carrying Aden and his party set off towards the Remes Duchy.

Since Elise’s pilgrimage had officially ended, it was time for Aden to return to the ducal family.

“Come to the great forest whenever you need help, savior of the forest.”

“We will always stand by your side.”

“May the blessings of nature be with you!”

Receiving a warm farewell from the chiefs and tribespeople of the three major tribes, the carriage sped away.

The imposing presence of the priest Bali, who always exuded a formidable aura, had left separately to report the events in the great forest to the leader of the Kertel Sect.

Despite the group having fewer members now, the carriage carrying Aden and his party became even more lively.

- "Nyaa! Nyat!"

A fluffy red kitten cried out with shining eyes.

- "What is this! It melts in my mouth!"

“Hehe. It’s called an ice cream! How do you like it, Cat Lord?”

- "This is the first time in my 400-year life that I’ve tasted something this delicious!"

- "Mmm, mmm! It's better than honey!"

The kitten, its mouth covered in white and fluffy cream, meowed with delight, while a blue-furred baby bear scooped up the ice cream with its paw and licked it repeatedly, like a bear eating honey from a pot.

Both had fallen in love with the ice cream that Elise had shared with them.

- "Fellow reptile, Leo, listen carefully. Unlike those vulgar mammals, you are a chosen, superior reptile. You must take pride in that and educate these inferior mammals…."

“It’s delicious!”

On the other side, Jormungandr was spouting nonsense at Leo, but Leo ignored it and tasted the ice cream in his 'hand.'

How could a dragon eat with its hand?

Well, because he wasn’t in his dragon form at the moment.

Currently, Leo had taken the form of a handsome ten-year-old boy with black hair and blue eyes.

He had completed his second growth and learned the Polymorph technique.

Aden watched the scene and let out a chuckle.

“This is turning into a zoo….”

- "Not just any zoo, but a varied one, Dragon Slayer. Why don’t you just start a divine beast farm?"

All the divine beasts that had lived in the great forest had followed Aden.

Or more precisely, they had followed Leo, Aden’s contracted spirit dragon.

Miao, Jormungandr, and Cheongwoong had all regained their original forms after becoming Leo’s guardians.

However, the problem was that their power depended on Leo, and if they strayed too far from him, they would lose their strength.

- "If I stay by that kid for a few more months, I’ll regain some of my strength, so let me rely on you until then, Cassie, rub my back a little more."

“Yes, yes, Lord Miao.”

- "Ooh! That’s good...! A little more, right there...!"

Nyaong.

After finishing her ice cream and feeling full, Miao curled up on Cassie’s lap, purring and wagging her flaming tail as Cassie rubbed her back.

…Aden was dumbfounded. How could that creature be a divine beast? It looked just like a shameless cat.

‘Well, it’s not like I’m losing anything from this.’

In fact, having the divine beasts accompany them was beneficial.

They were valuable forces that could be used in times of need.

Although they looked unreliable, they had once reigned as kings of the great forest.

They would certainly be useful.

“But Fenrir, are you really going to follow me? You don’t have to be bound by anything, so it would be fine for you to stay with the tribe.”

“Of course, Master.”

The silver-haired beauty, Fenrir, sitting opposite him, spoke as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“I have decided to serve Lady Elise and you, Master Aden. So it’s only natural that I follow my masters. And… to be honest, there’s no longer any need for me to remain there.”

Fenrir, the divine beast who had once been a servant of the Lord of the Sacred Fire, had lived in the great forest for a thousand years to fulfill the mission she had received from the Lord of the Sacred Fire.

And now, that mission had finally ended, and she was free.

However, since Aden and Elise were the successors of the Lord of the Sacred Fire, she had sworn to follow them. Besides, she was also curious to see how much the world had changed.

Thus, she decided to follow Aden to the Remes Duchy.

She smiled and patted the head of Choco, who was in the form of a small golden wolf cub beside her.

“I also want to guide this little one, who is like my junior, so that she can fully develop her abilities as a servant. Will you follow well?”

- "Woof!"

“Hm! Very well, your determination is commendable.”

To Aden, it just sounded like barking, but as fellow canine divine beasts, the two seemed to have no trouble communicating.

Unknown squinted at Leo, muttering as if he found it strange.

“…That black lizard-like creature has turned into a human. It’s unbelievable, even as I’m seeing it.”

“Golden-haired brother, would you like some?”

“Wh-what are you talking about! Look closely! I’m gray!”

“…Aren’t you gold?”

“I told you, it’s gray!”

For some reason, Unknown became unusually agitated and insisted on his hair color.

Golden hair?

Aden looked at Unknown curiously.

The guy’s hair had always been a moonlit gray since they first met at the Viscount’s house.

“Look properly! It only looks that way because of the sunset! Gold is the color of this coin!”

“No, it’s definitely gold…”

Leo kept muttering, “No, it’s not,” while tilting his head, then resumed licking the ice cream in his hand.

“Hmm…”

Aden briefly made a subtle expression as he watched them, then turned his gaze out the window.

Meanwhile, the carriage continued on its way and soon reached the Remes territory.

“Aden, it’s been almost half a year since you last returned to the territory.”

“Now that you mention it, yes.”

Sias, the Slaughter Tower, the Holy Nation, and the great forest.

He had been to many places and learned many things over the past half year, some of which he would have preferred to remain ignorant of due to the grim and sinister truths they entailed.

‘To think Kalsis was a fragment of the Demon God.’

The monster, who had lived for a thousand years waiting for the day to devour the world as a complete Demon God, had been hailed as a ‘hero’ despite being such a disgusting creature.

‘I’d like to storm the Ouroboros Golden Tower and crush him right now…’

With Unknown’s abilities, it would be possible to infiltrate the Ouroboros Golden Tower and assassinate Kalsis alone.

But that wasn’t feasible.

- "The Lord of the Sacred Fire snorts, saying, 'No way in hell.'"

Messages continuously echoed in Aden’s mind.

- "The ‘Lord of the Sacred Fire’ warns that the fragment of the Demon God has devoured the knowledge and power of numerous strong people over the past thousand years, so you must be extremely cautious."

‘Yes, yes, I’ve heard it already.’

- "He says one answer is enough."

What a nag.

Since Aden had met the Lord of the Sacred Fire, it had become relatively easier for the gods to intervene in the mortal world, at least concerning Aden.

The result was these ‘system messages.’

- "The God of Justice and Law adds that it is not right to be swayed by emotions."

- "The God of Slaughter and Death laughs, finding it hilarious that a stickler would say such a thing."

- "The God of Justice and Law angrily shouts in frustration."

- "The God of Slaughter and Death exclaims, ‘The stickler lost it again!’ laughing uproariously."

- "The system restrains excessive profanity. Target: The God of Justice and Law."

- "The Lord of the Sacred Fire sighs, remarking that you two are so consistent."

Messages popped up and disappeared in his mind.

For a mortal, communicating with gods should have been a profoundly sacred and noble experience.

But hearing them now, their behavior seemed so childish that Aden felt embarrassed to call these beings gods.

He ignored the frivolous messages and pondered.

According to the gods, Kalsis’s current abilities had surpassed the realm of humans.

Master-level alchemy, master-level swordsmanship, master-level black magic, and even master-level magic. He possessed countless powers beyond those.

Even for Aden, it was impossible to ambush such an opponent.

Even if he succeeded, he would be accused of regicide.

‘So, I’ll just have to prepare thoroughly.’

With that, Aden began organizing what he needed to do in the future, devising plans and consulting with Curse and the gods for their opinions if necessary.

“Aden, we’ve arrived.”

Meanwhile, the carriage carrying Aden and his party arrived at the small city in the heart of the territory, where the Remes Ducal family resided.

However…

“…Where are we?”

“This is Remes territory… right?”

It had been almost half a year since they last saw the Remes territory.

The sight before them was completely different from what they remembered.

* * *

The city ‘Marillen’ within the Remes Duchy, as Aden last remembered it, had been an ordinary, small, and remote city.

But the scenery before their eyes now was vastly different.

“When did it grow so much…?”

First of all, the city’s size had nearly tripled, and the population had also increased.

It was now large enough to be called a metropolis rather than a small city.

Neatly paved brick roads lined with streetlights stretched out endlessly.

Along those roads, countless people passed by, and carriages moved to and fro.

The buildings had shed their former shabby, rustic appearance and were now all beautiful structures, reminiscent of those in a wealthy city in the capital.

The city had completely shed its former rural atmosphere.

“Wow…”

“What is this…?”

“Even the slum where I lived is clean now…”

Everyone was dumbfounded by the transformed landscape, as if the city had undergone a complete makeover.

- "Nyaa, it’s so bright even though it’s dark! What is that?"

- "This is a human city outside the forest, quite an impressive place."

- "It’s sparkling!"

The divine beasts, who didn’t know what the Remes territory looked like before, marveled at the scenery beyond the carriage windows, like villagers visiting the capital for the first time.

Aden noticed the streetlights that lined every road.

They were all magical lamps powered by magic stones.

“Those magical lamps must be quite expensive, right?”

Since they were so costly, they were usually only found in wealthy noble families’ estates or in the capital.

At that moment, Ets, the Ent boy who had witnessed the changes in the Remes territory over the past half year, spoke up.

“I heard they’re improved magical lamps developed by a human named Gustav. They’re much cheaper and last longer.”

“…Gustav?”

“Yes. He’s been making all sorts of things besides just magical lamps.”

Carriages light enough that a single horse could pull a load that would otherwise require a whole team of horses.

Magic farming and harvesting machines that eliminated the need for farmers to plant and harvest crops by hand.

A magical purification device that converted dirty water into safe, clean water, delivering it to each household through pipes.

Even a curious oven called the ‘Mana Range’ that cooked food in just a minute.

The achievements Gustav had accomplished in the territory were countless.

“And lately, they say he’s been working on something called a ‘magic train’ as well.”

“A magic train?”

“I’m not sure of the details, but apparently, it’s a carriage that can carry over hundreds of people to neighboring territories, Chief Aden.”

“Unbelievable… But is it even possible for a city to develop this much in such a short time?”

“The Earth Spirits helped. Like us, the number of them settling here has been steadily increasing.”

Aden remembered when he had introduced the ‘Fairy’s Lazy Afternoon’ wine, brewed by the Ents, to the Dwarf blacksmith Hetos.

Its superb taste had since spread throughout the entire Stoneheim.

As a result, there were cases where those who wanted to drink freshly made wine decided to stay in the territory permanently.

And the Dwarves, who had bonded with Gustav and shed their prejudice against humans, actively helped him with whatever he did, driven by the deep friendship they shared.

The result was this remarkable transformation from a small city to a large metropolis.

They say that a woman’s transformation is blameless, but this city’s transformation was so remarkable that it seemed criminal, as if it deserved a lifetime sentence.

“Haha…”

Aden couldn’t help but laugh.

He recalled something Gustav had told him once.

"My research achievements have been recognized, and the Duke has elevated my title! As I promised, I am contributing to the development of the territory. Don’t be surprised when you return to the Duchy! Hahaha! Hahahaha!"

At the time, Aden had thought, ‘He’s up to his eccentric antics again,’ and dismissed it without much thought.

‘This is incredible.’

But now that he was seeing it for himself, he couldn’t help but be astonished.

Who would have thought that magic engineering could be such a valuable technology?

People usually referred to a wizard who could destroy an entire city with a single spell as an Archmage.

‘But Gustav has transformed an entire territory.’

Destroying something with magic or aura was easy, but creating something was much more difficult.

Perhaps Gustav had done something even greater than what an Archmage could achieve.

It might be an exaggeration, but that’s how he felt.

Gustav, the Mad Terrorist of the Magic Tower.

He truly was a mad genius born into this world.

At that moment.

“Aden, look over there!”

“Hmm?”

Elise, who had been eagerly looking out the window with the divine beasts, pointed at something with her finger.

Curious, Aden turned to see what it was.

“What the…?”

His face twisted as if he had bitten into something sour.

At the same time, a message burst forth.

- "The gods burst into laughter!"

There, towering before them, was a large statue that looked just like Aden.

And not just one, but dozens of them!