The Return of the Talented Monopolist is Special

“‘A mistake and a wound,’ you say?”

Mule finally began to speak after being repeatedly questioned.

“The Black Dragon blood incident happened 200 years ago.”

At that time, the head of the Penchel family, Kuran Penchel, had captured the Black Dragon that descended from the north after three days of intense fighting. He was contemplating how to make use of it.

The dragon’s corpse still had a dense aura flowing from it, and its bodily fluids contained a potent toxin.

Taking this as a hint, Kuran Penchel organized a research team and began studying the Black Dragon’s remains.

Through various experiments, they discovered that the blood of the Black Dragon greatly contributed to the amplification of aura.

Soldiers who volunteered for the experiment were injected with the Black Dragon’s blood, and the enhancement of their aura was dramatically noticeable.

At the time, it was considered a tremendous success, and everyone was thrilled.

But…

“Why they were unaware of the side effects, I don’t know, but Penchel made a grave mistake.”

As time passed, soldiers and knights who had consumed the Black Dragon’s blood began to show signs of mental deterioration.

Their violent tendencies became more evident, and their personalities gradually changed, with some soldiers ending up in a state resembling that of imbeciles.

There were so many cases that it became a huge issue.

Blinded by the dramatic effect of the aura enhancement, they hastily consumed the blood without enough research, and that was the problem.

After the incident, Penchel deeply apologized to every soldier and knight who had consumed the Black Dragon’s blood and did everything in his power to provide compensation.

But what use is compensation when a person is ruined?

After the Black Dragon’s blood incident, Penchel’s reputation sharply declined, and Kuran Penchel, the head of the family, was left to suffer from guilt.

Then…

“Kuran committed suicide. The incident was that significant, and his guilt was unbearable.”

After that, mentioning the Black Dragon’s blood became taboo in Penchel.

‘Well, after such an event, it makes sense why Uncle Mule reacted the way he did when the topic of Black Dragon’s blood came up.’

Eugene, who had been listening, asked another question.

“Even so, in Penchel, where strength is everything, the temptation of quickly advancing one’s aura must have been irresistible. Was the research stopped? Couldn’t they have figured out the side effects and improved the method later?”

Mule shook his head.

“After some time, it was confirmed that the knights who had built up their aura with the Black Dragon’s blood stopped advancing beyond the 7th rank. Once they reached that level, their progress halted. Aura that was gained by shortcut methods is fake.”

After reaching the 7th rank, their symptoms worsened, and their aura no longer increased.

As a result, everyone who had consumed the Black Dragon’s blood chose to take their own lives, as if it were a shared pact.

The blood of the Black Dragon was known as a method of the “evil path,” only used in the “cradle of warriors.”

While it could amplify strength in a short time, the vast amount of aura in the Black Dragon’s blood was too much for the human body to contain, causing the physical vessel to break down.

In the end, it was widely accepted that this would hinder proper training.

“This is all I know. I don’t know anything beyond this.”

Eugene stared at Mule for a moment, deep in thought.

‘Right now, I need to share information with Uncle Mule to solve the situation that is happening.’

The conclusion was reached.

“Sirius’s uncle is researching the Black Dragon’s blood. He’s even instructed someone to take it.”

Eugene, who had finally spoken up, had to witness Mule’s shocked expression.

“What…?”

However, that expression was strangely complicated. Mule looked as though something had come to mind, his face momentarily thoughtful before he shook his head.

“No matter how much that guy desired to become the head of the family, I can’t believe he’d be foolish enough to do something like that.”

“This is the truth. And from what you know, Sirius’s uncle couldn’t have used the Black Dragon’s blood without knowing the consequences.”

Mule paused for a moment, taking a breath.

“I’m not sure whether that’s the truth or not, but if he did use it, it would likely have been for emergency use as a stimulant in a life-threatening situation.”

Mule spoke as though he was certain that Sirius wouldn’t have done such a thing… No, it seemed like he wanted to believe that.

“Moreover, if he had used it, I’m sure he would have made sure that no one could use it again for months, to purify the Black Dragon’s blood from their body.”

Eugene realized he couldn’t change Mule’s thoughts any further.

‘It would be strange to expect him to believe that my brother has committed such a grave crime without any proof. I should gather more information today.’

Eugene then shifted his line of questioning.

“What if the Black Dragon’s blood is given to a child from a young age when their aura is still small, and it’s consumed regularly? What would happen to that child?”

“To a child?” Mule raised an eyebrow, then fell into deep thought.

“If the child consumed Black Dragon’s blood… Even if the side effects were reduced, their inherent personality would likely be completely altered due to the mental shock. And unlike what Penchel aims for, the limitations of the Black Dragon’s blood would prevent them from pursuing higher levels of cultivation.”

Eugene could easily imagine how the Ins brothers had been raised in his past life.

‘Sirius… the more I know about him, the more I realize what a terrible person he is. How could he feed something like that to his children?’

Thinking further…

‘In my past life, since I wasn’t with Penchel, he probably fed the Black Dragon’s blood to the Ins brothers, comparing them to Eldora.’

It became clear why their condition had rapidly worsened while he was away in Glampustan, considering Sirius’s personality.

It must have been due to his inferiority complex and impatience.

‘Since I was recognized and sent on missions as a fellow trainee, Sirius, in his desperation, must have pushed the Ins brothers even harder.’

Mule then asked Eugene.

“By the way, why are you asking? You’re not planning to try it yourself, are you? The Black Dragon’s blood isn’t something you can easily obtain, after all.”

Eugene couldn’t bring himself to say that Sirius had fed the Black Dragon’s blood to the Ins brothers.

Although there was no solid proof, he was confident based on all the circumstances and observations.

However…

‘Am I responsible for what’s happening to them?’

Eugene couldn’t shake the feeling that he was somehow involved in the Ins brothers’ situation.

The unknown guilt and remorse made Eugene feel uneasy.

But on the bright side…

‘If I treat them and simultaneously remove the side effects of the Black Dragon’s blood, I could use it myself. If my aura increases dramatically from that…’

It would be a win-win situation.

A chance to transform his guilt and regret into a sense of accomplishment and pride.

Mule seemed like he wanted to say something more, but hesitated.

“Is there something else you wanted to say?”

“I don’t know, but when I’m around you, I feel a strange sense of camaraderie. I don’t know why, but…”

“You have something you want to talk about, don’t you?”

“A few years ago, there was a fire in my personal research space. It was caused by my carelessness.”

“And…?”

“There was also research material on the Black Dragon’s blood among them. Well, I’m confessing now. I have this feeling that you would understand without telling anyone.”

With that, Mule glanced at the golden sword.

The golden sword cleared his throat and nodded.

“I won’t say a word, Sir Mule. Despite my looks, I’m quite tight-lipped.”

“I would appreciate that.”

After hearing more, Eugene understood Mule’s inner thoughts.

At that time, Mule had been desperate to fix his aura hole, even if it meant using the Black Dragon’s blood.

A self-deprecating smile appeared on Mule’s face as he shook his head, revealing the hardship and sorrow he had endured.

How difficult must it have been for him?

Eugene looked at him and recalled his past.

‘I too struggled to fix myself. At times, I hated myself, but then I would comfort myself and find the strength to keep going.’

But wrong is wrong.

Eugene spoke in a dry voice.

“I won’t tell anyone, but it’s undeniable that you made the same mistake.”

“Yeah, that’s true. Perhaps… I wanted to rationalize it by thinking of my situation. But I shouldn’t have done that.”

“Help me just once, on the condition that you won’t speak of it. You said you would help me earlier, so please help me twice as diligently.”

“The blood of the Roberts family is certain, huh? Go ahead, tell me.”

Eugene immediately began discussing how to repay the debt.

“Please investigate if those who drank the Black Dragon’s blood are rejecting only ‘silver.’”

“W-How do you know about that?”

“I also love books. I just read it there.”

Mule swallowed hard before responding.

“Well… I can give you an answer here. Those who drank the Black Dragon’s blood react more strongly to mithril, or rather, ‘true silver.’”

“True silver…”

As Eugene nodded, Mule’s servant knocked on the door.

“Mule, there’s an announcement about the end-of-month meeting next week. How should we respond?”

Mule shook his head.

“Tell them I won’t attend…”

But Eugene quickly stopped him.

“No, no. Uncle, you have to attend this end-of-month meeting.”

“Hm? Why’s that? I… It’s difficult to explain, but it’s not going to help much if I go.”

Eugene whispered in a frustrated tone.

“You’re currently in an important position, right…!”

He was the one bridging the gap with the Magic Tower.

Eugene wanted Mule to take responsibility as the commander of the Azure Dragon Knights and become their leader once again.

Even if a shout from someone powerless lacks force, a powerful person’s mumble carries weight.

Additionally, soon Mule would regain his aura with Eugene’s help.

Mule, realizing Eugene’s intentions, nodded without thinking.

“I-I see. Then, tell them I’ll attend.”

“Yes, understood.”

After Eugene let out a sigh, he began quietly planning in his mind.

‘At the end of the month, each knight order gathers to exchange ideas at the meeting.’

Why is that important?

‘I’m sure the ring reacted when the knight came to fetch Janus.’

It was already known that the Tyrant’s Ring reacted to the Black Dragon’s blood.

It was likely that the ring was connected to blood magic in some way. Eugene didn’t know the exact principle behind how the ring reacts, but…

‘I need to use the characteristics of the ring somehow to solve the Ins brothers’ problem and turn this situation to my advantage.’

Once Eugene finished his simple plan, he added one more thing.

“Then, please prepare some mithril ore. You can do that, right?”

“Mithril is hard to come by, but…”

Mule, who was met with Eugene’s gaze, chuckled.

“I get it for now. I just hope my brother isn’t as foolish as he seems.”

Eugene and the golden sword left the room.

Mule felt as though a storm had passed over him and muttered to himself.

“Thanks to my talented nephew, I’ve even taken on an important role in Pencel.”

He regretted not having expressed his gratitude and thought that for his nephew’s sake, he should put in more effort to treat his illness.

***

That night, at Eugene’s lodging.

The golden sword, Gungwi, and Tugi gathered in one place with Eugene.

“What did Gungwi say to come here?”

“He said he was bringing some healthy tea for the occasion.”

“It must have been hard avoiding that guy’s eyes.”

“He understood since it was for Lord Eugene.”

“And Tugi?”

“He said he was bringing some snacks.”

“Well, you all better keep your conversations to a minimum and leave quickly. Don’t want to raise any suspicion.”

The golden sword grumbled.

“Running errands for the young master is my job. Why are they coming all the way here to steal my work?”

Gungwi glared at him with sharp eyes.

“I’m not stealing your work, I’m helping! How can you act this way even with such a crooked personality?”

“I never asked for your help.”

“Anyway, I’m helping the young master! You’re the one who drinks and does nothing. Maybe I should just catch you in a beast trap and give you a good beating.”

“You drank too! With that, that lady…!”

“Don’t say such nonsense…!”

Tugi silently watched the situation, laughing. Then, he turned to Eugene and asked.

“Lord Eugene, I heard you’ve received an aura seal. Is it not uncomfortable?”

Eugene shook his head.

“No, actually, I’m fine with it. It’s better than feeling like I should be bowing down to the head of the family right now.”

“Huh? Why is that?”

Eugene didn’t mention that the aura seal allowed him to expand his vision and develop his magical abilities. That was still information they didn’t need to know yet.

Seeing the continued bickering between Gungwi and the golden sword, Eugene spoke up.

“If you keep fighting, I might just send both of you back to the family estate.”

“…”

“…”

At Eugene’s words, the two men immediately closed their mouths.

Only then did he give his orders.

“Gungwi, when members of the White Tiger Knights arrive from the Apothecary, make sure to draw blood from them. Whether it’s for a health check or to observe any allergic reactions, come up with any excuse, but do it.”

“Understood.”

“Tugi, prepare separate dining ware for the White Tiger Knights. It must include silver.”

“Got it.”

Although Gungwi and Tugi had followed Eugene to Pencel without his permission, they were proving to be quite helpful to him.

The return of the talent monopolizer is special.