Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight

Chapter 183

Chapter 183: Family Vacation (1)

***

The journey home was long and arduous. As Damien rode his horse, the sun began to set. He decided to make camp for the night by the roadside.

He spread out his blanket and built a campfire. The fire seemed weak, so he threw in a few more logs. As he watched the flames dance, Damien lost himself in thought.

‘I can’t seem to catch Dorugo’s tail.’

Damien had only one goal, both in the past and now: to kill Dorugo. Only by killing Dorugo could he avenge his grudge and prevent the War of Destruction.

The problem was that he couldn’t find Dorugo’s whereabouts.

‘No matter how cautious Dorugo is… I didn’t know he would be this thorough.’

He thought that once he caught a few of the dark mages associated with Dorugo and delved into their souls, he would be able to find his location quickly. However, things didn’t work out so easily.

Since regressing, Damien had hunted many dark mages, but he couldn’t find even the slightest trace of Dorugo.

‘At this point, I have no choice but to be more aggressive.’

There was no point in going after just any dark mage. He had to catch a big fish to find out Dorugo’s location.

‘The Great Evils might know Dorugo’s whereabouts.’

The Great Evils were the backbone of Pandemonium and Dorugo’s strongest supporters.

This meant that the Great Evils had maintained a close relationship with Dorugo for a long time. The Great Evils might know how to find Dorugo.

‘I was going to find them and kill them anyway.’

The damage humanity suffered at the hands of the Great Evils during the War of Destruction was immeasurable.

They were killing machines who had to be killed along with Dorugo. Not a single one could be spared.

More than anything, Damien had a bigger reason to kill the Great Evils.

‘Those bastards… I can never forgive those damn bastards who took my family’s souls.’

The dark mages who had taken the souls of his family.

They were all Great Evils. They had each, in their own way, tricked, tormented, and plunged his family into an ocean of pain.

Clench.

The thought of them made his teeth clench involuntarily. His anger was like a blade, ready to pierce his chest and burst forth.

‘To kill them… I need to reach to Master Class first.’

The Great Evils were formidable beings. They were Transcendentalists, dark mages who surpassed the Master Class. To fight them, Damien had to reach the level of a Transcendent himself.

‘I have all the conditions met.’

During his visit to the Fafnir Mercenary Company, Damien had managed to get his hands on the legendary elixirs, the Mithra Holy Water and the Flower of Fire.

By fully absorbing these, Damien was finally able to reach the Master Class he had so desired.

However, he could not take the elixirs right away. Damien’s current body was too weak to absorb them.

This was all because of Damien’s rapid growth in strength.

Less than a year had passed since Damien’s regression. Due to his rapid growth in strength over a short period of time, Damien’s body had many imperfections.

‘I guess I need to focus on physical training for now.’

Improving his own skills.

In addition to that, there was one more condition that Damien needed to meet in order to confront the Great Evils.

‘I need my own forces.’

The Great Evils mostly had their own forces.

These were beings who would do their bidding and fight alongside them when needed.

Therefore, Damien needed his own forces to confront the Great Evils.

‘I’ve already laid the groundwork.’

Damien already had a commander knight, a number of skeletons, and two more undeads.

Right now, compared to the forces of the Great Evils, they were small in size and weak in power.

However, their potential was greater than any other force.

Dominico had the potential to reach Master Class, and Miya grew stronger whenever she absorbed the blood of living beings. Munchi was a monster who was called the Beast of Destruction in the past life.

‘Just wait. I’ll send every single one of them to the bottom of hell without leaving a single one behind.’

Damien’s eyes burned silently in the darkness.

***

After several more days of travel, Damien finally reached his home. However, upon his arrival, he was met with an unfamiliar sight.

The servants were all bustling about, packing their belongings.

“What’s going on here?”

Damien entered the castle with a bewildered expression. He wanted to grab someone and ask, but everyone seemed preoccupied.

Then he spotted Victor chopping firewood in the backyard.

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

Victor was splitting logs with his ax, exerting all his might.

“Goodness.”

“Whoa! You scared me, Master! Please make some noise when you enter!”

Victor exclaimed in surprise and protested. Damien chuckled.

“More importantly, what’s going on here? Everyone seems so busy.”

“Ah, we’re preparing for a trip.”

Damien couldn’t help but be dumbfounded by the out-of-the-blue statement.

“A trip? What are you talking about?”

“I’m not sure about the details either. It was decided just a few days ago.”

It seemed like he had to find his family to get the full story.

As Damien headed upstairs, he couldn’t help but ask Victor,

“Why aren’t you helping with the travel preparations and chopping firewood instead?”

“I’m going along as the Count’s attendant on this trip.” Victor replied.

Damien couldn’t help but be surprised.

Not just anyone could accompany a noble on their travels. Only those with exceptional abilities or recognition were allowed.

“Then why is someone going on the trip chopping firewood here?”

“Well, if I leave the castle, won’t the firewood run out quickly? I’m preparing a few days’ worth of firewood in advance to prevent such a mishap!”

Damien looked at Victor with a dumbfounded expression.

Couldn’t they just ask someone else if the firewood ran out?

That thought crossed his mind, but Victor’s face was so serious that he couldn’t bring himself to point it out.

“Alright, then. Work hard.”

“Yes, sir!”

Damien headed to upstairs.

“Have you packed enough clothes? Check again just in case.”

He heard his mother giving instructions to the maids.

Damien approached his mother and spoke loudly,

“Mother!”

“Oh, Damien!”

His mother immediately ran over and hugged him tightly. Damien hugged her back with both arms.

“Are you done with everything? It seems like you took especially long this time.”

“Well, it’s all finished.”

Damien mumbled vaguely. He couldn’t tell her about what happened at the mercenary company. It would only worry her.

“Anyway, a trip? What’s this all of a sudden?”

“Well, you wouldn’t know since you were away. Father is in his study, so go ask him yourself. I’m too busy to explain right now.”

She pushed him on the back and said. In the end, Damien had no choice but to head to his father’s study to seek answers.

“Father, I’m here.”

Damien said as he entered the room. Count Haksen stopped writing on his papers and looked up at Damien.

“There you are. So you’re back.”

“Your reaction is so dry. Isn’t that a bit harsh?”

“I’m only going to be happy if you stop disappearing and reappearing all the time.”

Count Haksen said bluntly. Damien felt a pang of guilt.

“I heard you’re preparing for a trip? What’s this sudden trip?”

“Duke sent an invitation. He said he secured the best spot for watching the Starlight Fairies’ spawning season, which starts around this time every year.”

At his father’s words, Damien recalled a memory he had buried deep within him.

Starlight Fairies were not actually fairies, despite their name. They were creatures far removed from fairies.

Their bodies were transparent, they floated in the air, and their bodies glowed at night.

They were incredibly rare creatures, so rare that it was difficult to find even a single one most of the time.

However, once a year, during their mating season, hundreds of them would soar into the sky simultaneously.

It was a spectacle that could only be seen in the Apple Kingdom, making it a unique sight.

As a result, tens of thousands of people from other kingdoms flocked to see the Starlight Fairies every year.

Therefore, even for the nobles of the Apple Kingdom, it was difficult to obtain a prime spot to view the Starlight Fairies up close.

The fact that Duke was willing to give them such a spot was enough reason to prepare for the trip.

“What about a family trip without me? What were you going to do if I hadn’t come back today?”

“We were just going to go without you.”

Damien’s face fell. Count Haksen then added with a sly smile,

“But I’m glad you’re back.”

“It’s a good thing you came back just in time. We can all go together. I was actually worried about leaving you behind.”

Count said as he put down his fan.

“I can’t remember the last time we went on a family trip. Let’s enjoy this rare opportunity.”

As his father said, Damien’s memories of family vacations were hazy.

In his case, having experienced a previous life, they felt even more distant.

“I’ll leave the escorting to you.”

His father spoke to Damien, who was lost in thought.

Damien made an effort to shake off his gloomy mood and replied,

“Leave it to me. If there are any troublemakers who dare interfere, I’ll be the first to step up and silence them.”

Count Haksen nodded at Damien’s words and said,

“…But wouldn’t silencing them first be considered a crime?”

***

“Starlight Fairy Festival?”

In a lodge nestled within a rural village, a woman seated at a table spoke with a disgruntled expression.

“I got my hopes up when they said a new target was set… and this is all we get? What’s the fun in ruining a measly festival? Don’t you all agree?”

She glanced around the table, and the others seated there nodded in agreement.

“This pathetic place… there are plenty of other interesting targets. We could raid a noble’s estate, gather everyone up, and then blow them all to smithereens in one go.”

The woman spoke, looking directly at the man across from her. He sat with his chair turned, gazing out the window.

“Sucré, my sweet little kitten, don’t use such harsh language.”

The man said.

“Cut the crap and explain yourself already.”

The woman retorted in a shrill voice.

The man raised both arms in apparent surrender.

“The Starlight Fairy Festival isn’t just any festival. It’s so popular that nobles flock in from other kingdoms.”

“Really?”

“If you don’t believe me, you can go to the city later and check it out yourself. You’ll quickly learn just how famous the festival is and how many people attend.”

Intrigued by the man’s words, the woman fell silent.

“Imagine it. Thousands of nobles who journeyed all this way from distant lands just to see the festival. And you, with your magic, could blow them all sky high.”

The man clasped his hands together and then spread them wide open, mimicking an explosion.

“Can you imagine the spectacle? Wouldn’t it be magnificent?”

The woman pondered for a moment at the man’s words. Then, a smile bloomed on her face.

“Let’s get started. Right now.”

***