Bloodhound’s Regression Instinct

Chapter 56

In an instant, the barbarian tribes and their leader Vila, who had been threatening Beowulf, turned into statues of ice.

Duke Beowulf gazed coldly at Vila before shifting his eyes.

Yan, unconscious, clutching the sword tightly.

Especially that sword, which he had never seen before, was emanating the same aura as the one he had instructed to be stored in the warehouse long ago.

The rangers were sent to investigate its exact origins, but no useful information could be found.

However, he knew it was no ordinary sword.

Items that can play tricks with mana are rare, after all.

If it were an artifact, it would be one containing very advanced enchantments.

“…Huh, a robber and a thief.”

Duke Beowulf strode briskly towards Yan.

He had reached Yan’s side in no time and spoke icily.

“A thief cannot be left alive.”

Just as his foot was about to descend upon Yan’s head.

“Lo, Lord! That child is a guest from the main house!”

From a distance, Hans shouted, using his sword as a cane to stand up.

Duke Beowulf withdrew his foot at Hans’ words.

“A guest?”

“Yes, he is a trainee who came with Miss Lorena to take the Dragonia Project test.”

Duke Beowulf nodded thoughtfully.

“The Dragonia Project… I’ve heard of it from the Emperor.”

Duke Beowulf did not address the Emperor with respect.

But Hans showed no particular reaction, as if accustomed to the Duke’s manner of speaking.

“But how can a mere trainee wield that?”

It was a sword that even the knights of the Beowulf family had given up on lifting.

And yet, here was a young man he had never seen before, holding it?

Duke Beowulf’s curiosity was piqued for a moment.

“…I’m not sure.”

Duke Beowulf shook his head.

“I wasn’t asking you.”

Duke Beowulf looked down quietly at the fallen Yan.

“I was asking him.”

* * *

Yan, feigning unconsciousness, broke into a cold sweat as Duke Beowulf spoke with unnerving calm.

“I’ve been found out.”

He had thought his acting was flawless…

Duke Beowulf’s voice reached his ears, “If you don’t rise this instant, I’ll take it as an insult. One, two…”

“Oops.”

Hans, witnessing Yan struggling to his feet, widened his eyes in surprise.

Shouldn’t Yan be out cold from that ordeal?

Yan met Duke Beowulf’s piercing gaze, the Duke’s muscular form barely covered by a black coat, seemingly impervious to the cold.

This Beowulf seemed much younger than the one Yan knew twenty years later, familiar yet strange.

Yan, at a loss for words, finally managed to speak.

“You’ve arrived just in time.”

“Just in time?”

“If you were ten minutes later, we’d all be dead.”

“Hmm.”

Duke Beowulf stroked his chin, considering Yan’s bold claim.

“Not an incorrect statement.”

“Aren’t you concerned about Lorena’s safety?”

“From the energy I sense, the child is unharmed and safely evacuated to the shelter.”

A monstrous figure.

Even from here, he could discern Lorena’s condition afar.

As Yan inwardly clicked his tongue in awe, Momon admired Beowulf.

[To think there’s a human who can handle essence and attributes so well, he’s not far behind Bahamut, is he?]

Indeed, impressive.

Isn’t that to be expected?

He’s one of the pinnacles of the Caballan Empire, which spans half the continent.

“But how are you holding that sword?”

“Ah, well, you see…”

Yan found himself without a proper response.

How could he say, ‘I’ve learned your family’s secret techniques by observing your daughter and knights’?

It was then that…

Shhhhk!

Suddenly, sharp fragments of stone surged towards Hans, who had approached with difficulty.

Duke Beowulf waved his hand, and the stone shards, shot like projectiles, halted as if hitting a wall.

Crunch.

They turned into ice fragments and fell powerlessly to the ground.

Duke Beowulf frowned.

“Like a rat, he is.”

Vila, who had just been frozen like a statue, had vanished without a trace.

Duke Beowulf, knowing Vila’s location, crouched, ready to leap, and roared.

“Do you think you can escape me!”

That’s when it happened.

Swoooosh!

A clock from the clock tower, in the direction Vila had fled, flew with terrifying force towards the first floor.

And in that direction were the Beowulf household and Lorena.

Duke Beowulf, realizing this, grimaced deeply.

Then, from his waist, he drew a slender and thin sword, ill-suited for his robust body, and swung it.

Slish.

The clock was cleanly sliced in half and fell towards the ground.

Duke Beowulf clenched his fist, glaring in the direction the clock had come from.

Crack.

As if mirroring his mood, veins bulged over his clenched fist.

Then, Duke Beowulf swiftly turned around.

“Summon the knights; clean this up.”

At Duke Beowulf’s command, Hans bowed and quickly left.

“That boy is the benefactor who saved Miss Lorena!”

Even amidst the chaos, Hans left a word of concern for Yan.

Now, only Yan and Duke Beowulf remained.

Duke Beowulf looked at Yan intently.

“Do you know what sword that is?”

Yan swallowed hard.

This was just the beginning.

He had prepared many arguments to persuade the Duke, in case Beowulf decided to seize Ascalon.

“…I have a rough idea.”

“You do?”

Duke Beowulf raised his eyebrows, surprised.

You know the origin of a sword that no one else could identify?

“Hmm.”

Duke Beowulf quietly observed the sword in Yan’s hand.

It no longer looked like the rusty, unremarkable blade of before, but a treasured sword freshly forged by a master.

He had lost interest and neglected it at some point, but seeing the reborn sword now stirred his desire.

His decision was swift.

“Do as you wish.”

Duke Beowulf, seemingly indifferent to Ascalon, left those words behind and departed.

‘Huh? Just like that?’

Ascalon exuded an aura that even a fool would recognize as a treasured sword, and even Duke Beowulf would salivate over such an item.

Yan had expected a lengthy debate and had prepared accordingly.

But Duke Beowulf had surrendered the sword with disarming ease.

“…Thank you.”

Yan watched Duke Beowulf walk away in disbelief and then…

Thump.

He collapsed on the spot.

The strain of drawing mana and the physical toll had been considerable.

It was a feat to have stayed conscious until now.

* * *

As Hans was busy rallying the knights to restore order to the domain, he tilted his head in curiosity at the sight of Beowulf emerging empty-handed.

“My lord?”

Beowulf chuckled at Hans’s puzzled look.

“Thought retirement had dulled your desire for swords?”

“No, no, that’s not it.”

“I know.”

Duke Beowulf gazed impassively at the castle walls, now in ruins.

“Anyway, it’s a sword of little use to keep.”

“What? What do you mean?”

“If you possess something beyond your control, you risk losing yourself.”

“…Are you saying that sword is one such object?”

“Exactly.”

Hans mulled over these words.

Even if not as mighty as his lord, he was a force to be reckoned with in the empire; surely, this was no ordinary item.

“Then, if you were to wield it, my lord…”

“True, I train to become stronger, but it’s to enhance my own innate power. Being bound to an artifact would not reflect my true strength.”

“I see.”

Hans finally nodded, understanding.

“But to think it was such a sword… quite surprising.”

Artifacts capable of manipulating mana are invaluable beyond measure.

And Beowulf had realized when he once lifted Ascalon that it possessed the property ‘to halt mana.’

It was certainly no ordinary sword.

It might have been called a divine weapon in ancient times or one of the legendary swords passed down through oral tradition.

“Still, Miss Lorena or the knights of our Beowulf house could pursue it without losing themselves, couldn’t they?”

“Possibly, but too many lose themselves the moment they become obsessed with something. There’s no need to take such risks unnecessarily.”

It might sound like he didn’t trust his daughter and retainers, but Hans didn’t see it that way.

Duke Beowulf cherished his domain more than anyone.

“…Then why did you entrust that sword to the boy?”

Yan was a guest and benefactor of the Beowulf household.

If Yan became obsessed with the sword, he might lose himself.

Yet, Duke Beowulf merely shrugged, showing no sign of concern.

“I gave it because he didn’t seem the type to be consumed by a sword. Besides, rewarding a deed well done is only proper.”

“Ah.”

Hans nodded, now understanding.

Despite being of similar age to Miss Lorena, the way he matched his own against Vila was…

‘Reminiscent of a grand duke.’

The grand duke, perhaps the greatest genius of the north, or even the entire continent!

“And since he’s unconscious inside, see to his care. Spare no expense on the best medicine.”

“Yes, I understand!”

At Duke Beowulf’s command, Hans rushed to where Yan lay unconscious.

Duke Beowulf glanced at the spot and smirked.

“A whirlwind is about to sweep through the dull empire.”

The emergence of a new prodigy is always a delight.

“And it seems it’s time for me to step forward as well.”

How dare the barbarians think to cross the threshold of the Beowulf house?

Until now, they were too afraid of the Beowulf name to even consider invasion.

It seems they’ve grown too complacent, dreaming foolish dreams together.

Then it’s his role to make them face the harsh reality.

Duke Beowulf bellowed commandingly.

“Knights with strength remaining, prepare to march! Today, we shall eradicate the seed of the barbarians!”