## Chapter 1036 – 1036. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
[Death Resistance has been activated. You will not die for the next 15 seconds.]
[Using Full Recovery.]
In the end, I died once.
I used Full Recovery to come back to life.
My body was completely healed. The black and white world also returned to its original colorful state.
Around me, four assassins were bound by shadows. Judging by their posture with daggers extended forward, they were trying to kill me but were instead defeated by Yuria.
I looked around. The other 31 were corpses, rolling on the floor. Most were killed by sword cuts, but some were electrocuted to death.
“Where did you suddenly pop out from!”
“I was here from the beginning.”
The assassin leader stared intently at Yuria. Then, he gulped. His eyes trembled.
“…Who are you? I’ve never heard of a monster like you.”
“……”
Yuria closed her mouth as if she had nothing to say and silently raised her dagger. The dagger was aimed not at the neck but at the arm. She would capture them alive and extract information through torture.
Swish!
Watching Yuria cut off the assassins’ limbs, I spoke to the assassin leader instead.
“Why are you pretending not to know? You know about her very well.”
“I don’t know…! I’ve never heard of a monster like her…! Not even in rumors!”
“No, you know. You must have heard the rumors.”
“…Rumors?”
The assassin leader maintained his composure even with his limbs severed. It was absurd, but these guys were top-tier assassins. Their skills were genuine. Especially the assassin leader, who had blocked my attacks four times when I was in a frenzy. He was a top-tier expert.
“Look at her carefully. Silver hair and blue eyes. Doesn’t that remind you of something? Isn’t that a characteristic of a certain noble?”
I pointed at Yuria. Her silver hair, in her maid uniform, sparkled under the moonlight. Her cool blue eyes were beautiful yet merciless. Her appearance was so beautiful that it could cause a mental shock.
And around Yuria. Shadows were writhing.
The assassin leader was shocked as if he had realized something.
“Could it be, the Shadow Empress…! Is that woman really the Shadow Empress?!”
“You know her well. I was a bit taken aback when you were talking about the Shadow Empress in front of the real one.”
I removed the assassin leader’s mask. He had the face of an ordinary middle-aged man. Surprisingly, he had a good impression. The kind of middle-aged man who might live near your house.
“I don’t recognize your face. I’ll ask you directly. Is Zent your client?”
“I am an assassin. Since I have failed, I will remain silent. No matter what you do, I will not open my mouth. Even if you torture me. We are perfectly prepared for torture. Of course, I have no intention of being tortured.”
Crack.
I heard something break from the assassin leader.
It was obvious. It was a poison capsule hidden inside his molars.
I leisurely reached out my hand. No matter how potent the poison, it wouldn’t kill him instantly. There were a few seconds, or even tens of seconds, to spare.
First, I used acupressure to prevent the poison from spreading through his body and reached out to grab the assassin leader’s head. I channeled brain energy to burn the poison. I had done it a few times in the [Ascension of Light] world, so I knew the feeling. Still, I was clumsy.
‘Well, it’s not like I’m going to die if I fail.’
It didn’t matter if the assassin leader died. After all, it was obvious that Zent was their client.
“Cough…! You didn’t die? Did you have an antidote!”
The assassin leader gasped and shouted.
I succeeded in burning the poison. As a side effect, scars appeared on my face, and my hair fell out, but that was none of my concern.
I looked at the other assassins. None of them had committed suicide. There was no way Yuria would let them.
“You can’t die without my permission.”
The assassin leader’s face turned pale. He clenched his teeth and said in a trembling voice.
“I’ve already told you… No matter what you do… We will not reveal any information.”
“I’ll praise you if you last a day.”
I sneered at him and got up from my seat.
“Yuria. I’m counting on you.”
“Yes. I will find out the information before sunrise tomorrow. But… that technique you used just now is too dangerous. Please do not use it again.”
“…It’s because I’m too inexperienced. If you told me to use it again… I honestly don’t have the confidence.”
Still, I had grasped a clue. If I practiced a bit, I would be able to use it.
“It didn’t seem like a technique from the Yeongcheon Style.”
“I don’t know the details either. But I have a guess.”
The technique used by Seong Hari in the [Savior of the Academy] world. A temporary body acceleration technique using lightning. It was almost certainly Flash Lightning.
I asked Yuria to take care of the rest and returned to the carriage. On the way, I encountered Kyle and Floy.
“Yujin! Did a monster appear?”
“My lord. Are you alright?”
The fight was a bit noisy. It was not strange for them to notice the battle, given their skills.
“It’s already over. Let’s go rest.”
***
The next day, at dawn.
Yuria kept her word.
The captured assassins had blank faces and spilled all the information before sunrise. The assassins even showed signs of regression. I considered asking Yuria what she had done, but I gave up.
First of all, the client who hired them was indeed Zent. He had commissioned my and Kyle’s deaths for a whopping 30 billion Ner.
‘Zent also had a winning streak in the war… It’s not unreasonable for him to bet that much.’
However, it was a large sum to bear alone. It seemed that not only Zent but also some of his vassals were involved.
The assassin group received 6 billion as an advance payment.
‘If I trace that 6 billion, I’ll find Zent. That will be solid evidence.’
Zent, who had no hope anyway, was finished with this.
‘Zent. I’ll make your arm useless like Kyle’s.’
I wouldn’t kill him.
Instead, I would continue to have secret meetings with Zent’s wife, Bibi. He wouldn’t even dream that his wife would bear my child.
“Hehehe.”
***
I entered the main family estate, receiving a warm welcome from the territory’s people, soldiers, and knights. They also knew who would become the master of the Prukerus family.
I held up my sword and waved it from the carriage. Every time the blue aura blade flashed, the citizens cheered.
‘I should advertise at times like this. That I am the youngest aura master.’
I arrived at the Prukerus family’s main estate.
The main estate, which I had returned to after a long time, hadn’t changed much. However, the atmosphere was more boisterous than usual. That was because Ention, the current Count Prukerus, had returned to the main estate.
Moreover, the Prukerus family was the noble family that had achieved the most merits in the Rapelli Kingdom. The faces of the Prukerus territory’s people were filled with pride. It would have been stranger if the atmosphere was bad.
Without even having time to recover from the journey, I was immediately summoned to the Great Hall.
Everyone was gathered in the Great Hall.
The head of the family, Ention, and his wife, Elaine.
Zent Prukerus and his followers.
Kyle Prukerus’s followers and his subordinates.
My followers and the nobles who had remained neutral until the end.
There were over a thousand people gathered in the Great Hall. This was all the power of the Prukerus family. It wasn’t this large originally… But through this war, the size of the territory had greatly increased, and there were quite a few families that had submitted.
They had been winning in the war and had secured the spoils of war. The Prukerus family was comparable to a small duchy.
Yuria and I walked on the red carpet, receiving their gazes. Yuria was wearing a blue dress instead of her maid uniform. She had such a great dignity that no one would think she was a maid.
I deliberately slowed my pace. I could hear murmuring around me.
“That person is Yujin Prukerus… The undefeated hero, the golden hand of the Rapelli Kingdom, and the youngest aura master… They say he even conquered the sea? He has accomplished great feats that will be recorded in history… It’s no wonder that the eldest son, Zent Prukerus, is no match for him.”
“Wasn’t the second son, Kyle Prukerus, the only one who could compete with him? He was the youngest aura master, but he has fallen behind his younger brother.”
“Who is that woman? She’s so… beautiful. It’s hard to take my eyes off her.”
“Silver hair and blue eyes… Could it be… No, is it a coincidence…?”
“Amazing, amazing.”
“A new wind is blowing.”
“Madam, look at that person carefully. Son, remember that person’s face well. He is the hero who will lead the next Prukerus family.”
“…Damn it. I chose the wrong side. Do you happen to know what kind of things Baron Yujin likes?”
“I was going to recommend my daughter… But I guess not. My daughter is as lovely as can be, but… The woman next to him is on a different level.”
“His era will begin.”
At the end of the red carpet, Ention and Elaine were sitting.
Yuria and I knelt on one knee in front of them.
“Father. I have returned.”
“Yuria Grace… No, Yuria Helbrit greets the head of the family.”
“……”
Ention closed his mouth and remained silent. The people around him also closed their mouths, watching Ention’s reaction. However, they couldn’t completely hide their shock.
Yuria Helbrit.
To prevent people from finding fault with Yuria’s background, we decided to use the name of the Helbrit Dukedom.
This was Yuria’s idea. Yuria still wanted to hide her power. The reason was Pantheon. They still didn’t know the exact extent of Yuria’s power. This advantage would definitely be helpful.
“I heard. You are the sole survivor of the Helbrit Dukedom.”
“Yes. I am a bastard child. I didn’t know that fact until recently, but I found out by chance.”
“…That’s enough. I won’t ask for details.”
Ention’s lips trembled. He was nervous in front of Yuria. I had given him a heads-up in advance, but… It seemed that he had seen with his own eyes and realized the extent of Yuria’s skills.
‘Yuria must have released her aura so that he could notice. That’s easier.’
Ention looked like a puppy in front of a lion.
“Father. I have two requests.”
“…Speak.”
Ention’s gaze turned to me. His expression seemed to have become more relaxed.
“I want to marry Yuria.”
“…I grant it. Everyone knows that the Helbrit Dukedom was a prestigious noble family. Although she is a bastard child, she has the bloodline, so she is qualified. Also, I heard that she inherited the Helbrit Duke’s estate.”
“Yes. That is correct.”
Yuria answered calmly. The nobles around them gasped. The Helbrit Duke was once a prime minister, and there were even rumors that the Helbrit Duke was the real ruler of the kingdom. They could roughly guess how great his inheritance would be.
“However, it is wartime now. The war is not over yet. It is not appropriate to hold a wedding, so let’s end it with an engagement for now and hold the wedding after the war is over.”
“Yes, Father. I will follow your will.”
“What is your second request?”
“Father, you said that you would pass on the title to the brother who made the most contributions in this war. I have made the most contributions among the brothers. Brother Kyle has decided to support me. I am confident that my achievements are higher than my father’s. Father, please pass on the title to me.”
“Baron Yujin!!”
A roar erupted.
It wasn’t Ention. It was the old vassals standing around him.
“What kind of rudeness is this!”
“Baron Yujin! Show some respect!”
“That statement is no different from challenging the authority of the head of the family!”
Yuria and I got up from our seats without Ention’s permission. Then, we slowly looked around at the vassals who had shouted. I remembered every one of their faces. The list of those to be killed was already being written.
“You! You! You…!!”
“Baron Yujin!! What are you doing!”
“Kneel, Baron Yujin!! You are in front of the head of the family!!”
“Father! Yujin is ignoring the authority of the Prukerus family!! Father!! Punish Yujin!!”
The old vassals and Zent were screaming with veins popping out of their necks.
Ention frowned and got up from his chair. He blatantly released his aura. The faces of the vassals and nobles turned pale at the pressure of the aura master. I didn’t back down and countered. I was also an aura master.
A battle of auras broke out. I was slightly pushed back. It was natural. It hadn’t been long since I became an aura master. On the other hand, Ention had a long career as an aura master.
However, I calmly received his aura. I didn’t avoid his sharp gaze at all.
Ention sighed and withdrew his aura.
“Yujin. You are right. You have become the master suitable for this position. …Can you handle this position?”
“I can handle it and more.”
“That’s an answer I like. I will hand over the position of head of the family to you today. However, there is a condition.”
I suppressed my rising irritation and asked as calmly as possible.
“……What is the condition?”
“Bury what happened between the brothers.”
“Does that include what happened yesterday?”
“……Yes.”
“I will.”
“Good, Yujin. Now you are the master of Prukerus. The succession ceremony will be held in a simplified manner since it is wartime. If you wish, we can hold a separate succession ceremony on another day.”
“The simplified version is enough.”
I smiled.
Kyle and Zent? I would let them live as originally planned. I would let them live.
That day, I became the master of the Prukerus family.
