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Reborn as a Grand Duke: My Revenge Against Hatzfeld (Web Novel) - Chapter 104
Chapter 104
This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 104
Just as Kane was about to persuade the village chief, a notification appeared with a "ding."
Sudden Quest - [Discovering Oblivion!]
Rank: A+
[Description: A trace of Oblivion has been discovered in a small village beneath the Sian Mountains. The villagers are being forced to gather the power of Oblivion by someone. Stop this from happening.]
[Success Reward: Ability to recruit Karl Agzent, increased favorability with Flovin Village]
[Failure Penalty: Hostile relationship with the Meyer Family, Karl Agzent character will be deleted.]
‘I’ve never seen a character deletion penalty before.’
If this quest is failed, Karl might die. Kane was confident he could persuade the village chief because he knew Karl well.
Karl Agzent was a 5-star character by birth, one of the best-performing characters unlocked as the game progressed. Though his stats would eventually decline due to a balance patch, for now, he was the best among the unlocked characters, even better than Mikhail in some aspects.
In any case, Kane was determined to persuade the village chief to recruit Karl.
“If you want to save Karl, you must stop what you’re doing immediately.”
“Do you know my grandson?” the chief asked.
“Yes, from Viker Agzent. I heard about him from your son.”
“Is Viker well?”
“Unfortunately... he's gone to a place where you can never see him again.”
“So, he left before his father…”
“He lived a life without regrets.”
“Did Viker achieve his dream?”
“He did.”
The village chief closed his eyes and nodded.
“Thank you for telling me about my son's whereabouts.”
Viker Agzent's dream was to become the King of Mercenaries. Though he was born in a small village, his aspirations were larger than his life.
He wanted to become the leader of mercenaries, and with that ambition, he boldly left Flovin Village to chase his dream.
However, the life of a mercenary was not easy. He first needed to obtain a mercenary license in the city guild, just the beginning of the journey. From Bronze to Silver, Gold, and finally Platinum, he had to climb the ranks.
But soon, he hit a wall. There were many far stronger than him. The man born in a small village with big dreams eventually returned with a woman by his side—Karl's mother. He had found her injured and nursed her back to health, and they fell in love.
This was the background story of Karl Agzent, as described in the character details.
“I will remove Karl’s restraints.”
“I wish I could do that, but if they find out, we’re all as good as dead.”
“I’ll take care of it.”
Even so, the village chief hesitated.
“Are you worried that if I leave, they’ll come back and harm you?”
The chief nodded silently.
After all, Kane was an outsider. Once those who oppressed Flovin Village returned, it would become hell again. The chief found it difficult to make a decision.
“If you come with me, we can resolve this.”
“Are you telling me to abandon my homeland?”
"Are you planning to keep your grandson in perpetual suffering just to stay alive? If Karl dies, not only will you perish, but so will every villager."
This was a truth that everyone in the village already knew. They all desperately longed to escape this hell, with no other desires.
"The elixir you’re creating is the Elixir of Oblivion, a forbidden potion across the continent. You need to stop this now."
Kane’s continued persuasion was clearly unsettling the village chief. At that moment, one of the villagers spoke up.
"Please, save us! We’ll follow you anywhere if you do."
Their desperation was evident. The will to survive was palpable.
"Dozens of villagers have died while trying to bottle this strange energy. Now, only a few of us are left."
Fifteen or so? Even they were barely hanging on.
As if on cue, someone collapsed with a thud.
"Hey! Jamie, stay with us!"
Kane nodded toward Blata.
"Go and give them some mana."
"I’ll do it!" Camilla volunteered, but Kane stopped her.
"You’re not strong enough yet."
She had reached the Mid-Tier of 4th Class in the Void Wasteland, but it wasn’t enough to fend off the power of Oblivion.
"Leave it to me."
Blata rushed over to the fallen middle-aged woman and channeled his mana into her. The color began to return to her face, which had gone pale as she collapsed with foam at her mouth.
Meanwhile, Kane strode over to Karl. As the blood mana surged around him, it suppressed the Oblivion energy in the air.
"Aaagh!"
Karl screamed in agony. The Oblivion was his power, something he had possessed since birth.
"Just hang in there. I’ll free you from this pain."
Kane took the suppressed Oblivion energy and forced it back into Karl’s body.
***
Karl convulsed multiple times as the Oblivion energy was forcibly extracted and then reinserted into his body. His body rebelled against this process, violently rejecting the vile energy that it was being made to accept again. All the pain from this brutal resistance fell squarely on Karl’s shoulders.
‘Incredible. No wonder he’s a candidate for the rare class Oblivion Knight,’ Kane thought.
Across the continent, there were several candidates for the title of Oblivion Knight, and Karl Agzent was one of them. This power would one day earn him the title of the Immortal Mercenary King.
‘It would be interesting to gather all the Oblivion Knight candidates across the continent and recruit them.’
These individuals were all exceptionally talented. Although they might not have been born with any specific specialties, it didn’t mean they lacked talent. They were monsters who could master anything they learned instantly, true rivals to the Blood Knights.
‘Before the Solar Clan eliminates all the Oblivion Knight candidates, I should rescue them and bring them to Rehinar.’
With such a force, Rehinar’s power would be beyond overwhelming. It would be a place teeming with monsters where no one, not even the emperor, could dare to challenge them.
‘Just thinking about it excites me.’
Rehinar was already a place filled with formidable individuals: Cedric: the Blue Flash; Yoshua, the Leader of the Blood Cult; Anna, the Ghost; Joseph, the Chief Instructor; Mikhail, the Red Reaper. And now, with the addition of Karl, the Immortal Mercenary King, and more characters yet to be unlocked, who would dare think of challenging Rehinar? Anyone foolish enough to try would be utterly crushed, potentially erased from the continent’s map.
‘Even without me, these people alone could protect Rehinar.’
The number of soldiers continued to grow as well, with more coming from other territories. Mercenary groups even joined to purchase rights to hunt in the demon forest.
Rehinar was advancing rapidly, day by day.
‘Once I take Karl with me, I won’t have much to worry about for a while.’
Kane continued forcing the Oblivion energy back into Karl’s body. Karl repeatedly fainted and regained consciousness until, finally, the power of Oblivion settled back into its rightful host.
“Ugh…” Karl groaned softly.
“Are you awake?” Kane asked.
“…Who… are you?” Karl mumbled.
“You could say I’m the one who saved your life.”
“You… saved me…?”
As Karl regained consciousness, the village chief rushed over.
“Karl, are you okay?”
“Grandfather…”
“I’m sorry, my boy.”
“It’s okay… Grandfather. But did this person really save me?”
“Yes, he did. He also promised to save us from those evil people.”
“But why…?”
“He said he met your father.”
“My father?”
“For the details, you should ask him.”
The shackles that had been suppressing Karl’s body were finally broken. While Karl was still processing everything, Kane instructed Blata to absorb the lingering Oblivion energy in the air.
“Begin,” Kane ordered.
“I’m really going to do it,” Blata replied.
“Do it,” Kane affirmed.
"Are you really letting me?"
"If you're scared, just give up."
"I'm going to do it!" Blata shouted as he opened his mouth wide.
Immediately, the vile energy of Oblivion was sucked into Blata’s mouth. In an instant, his eyes glowed red, only to turn black shortly after. The more Oblivion energy he absorbed, the more his eyes shifted to a grayish hue. His body began to exude a sinister aura, as if the very ground beneath him had been tainted with evil.
Concerned that the malicious energy might harm the villagers, Kane quickly erected a barrier with his mana. The two opposing forces collided with a loud crash, but the barrier held strong. Kane kept a close eye on Blata, ready to intervene with his blood mana if anything went wrong. However, no such danger arose.
"That was terrible!" Blata grumbled, spitting on the ground as the air in the village cleared completely.
"Fortunately, nothing happened," Kane remarked, to which Blata puffed out his chest proudly.
"Hmph! This is what it means to be a great guardian of demons," Blata boasted.
"Well done," Kane praised, causing Blata's grin to widen even further. He even nudged Camilla, "What are you standing around for? Stop fidgeting and give me a pat on the back for my hard work!"
Blata received plenty of praise from Camilla as well.
---
At the village chief's house, Kane had been invited inside.
"You seem like someone of noble birth, but this is the best meal I can offer," the chief said apologetically.
Before Kane was a simple stew—no meat, just potatoes. Nevertheless, Kane did not refuse.
"This is more than enough," he replied, eating the potato stew with gusto. He had survived on far less during his time as Ray, where food was merely a means to stay alive.
As Kane finished the stew, the chief spoke up with concern, "Now that we've stopped working, they'll be coming soon."
"You mean the watchers?" Kane asked.
"Yes, they live nearby," the chief confirmed.
"I’ll take care of them before we leave."
"How soon should we be ready to leave?"
"I intend to depart immediately. Please gather all the villagers before we go," Kane instructed.
The villagers gathered at the chief's house, where Kane introduced himself.
"I am not from Hatzfeld. I am from the Fresia Empire."
Some villagers were surprised, but most seemed unfazed.
"We had a feeling," one remarked.
"Yes, your accent is different from ours," another added.
Kane felt reassured by their reactions. Perhaps due to the suffering they had endured, they were more than willing to trust the person who had saved them.
"My name is Kane, and I am of the house of Rehinar," he continued.
"I haven’t heard of you, but I know that Rehinar is the name of a guardian lord's house," one villager commented.
"I'm the eldest son of that guardian lord," Kane clarified.
"We’ve heard that the guardian lord is a just and upright person. It seems his son is equally remarkable," another villager noted.
Their warm reception made sense. Before arriving at the chief's house...
Kane had taken care of each villager’s well-being, revitalizing them with his blood mana—a power that seemed almost magical to the simple folk of the small village.
"Will you follow me to Rehinar?" Kane asked.
"I want to go with you! There's no hope left in this place," one villager responded.
"Even if it's hard to start anew, it must be better than staying here," another added.
"We'll gladly follow if you'll have us," they agreed, one after another.
The only ones left to answer were the village chief and Karl. The two exchanged a glance before responding.
"We will go to Rehinar as well," the chief said.
"Pack only your most precious belongings. We leave immediately," Kane instructed.
The villagers quickly returned to their homes, gathering only the essentials before coming back to Kane.
"Your Highness, what should we do with these?" Camilla asked, pointing to the boxes filled with the Elixir of Oblivion.
"Destroy them all," Kane ordered.
With a swift slash of her sword, Camilla destroyed the boxes, shattering the elixirs inside.
"Is that all of them?" Kane asked the villagers.
"There are more in the storage at the village entrance," one villager informed him.
The small storage shed near the village gate was packed with crates full of elixirs.
"That's quite a lot. It's amazing that Karl managed to survive after producing such an enormous amount of Oblivion energy," Kane muttered, glancing at Karl.
The sheer volume of energy contained within him was a testament to his strength, marking him as a true 5-star character.
Kane extended his hand, and with a powerful burst, the storage shed exploded. As the smoke rose, Blata eagerly opened his mouth, absorbing the remnants of the Oblivion energy. Once the malevolent aura was completely gone, a notification sounded:
[You have completed the sudden quest: Discovered Oblivion!]
[Karl Agzent has been unlocked.]
[5★ Oblivion Knight Candidate ‘Karl Agzent’ is now available in the Fragment Shop.]
[The favorability of the villagers of Flovin has risen to trust.]
The quest was over.
"Let's go," Kane said.
The Blood Tigers escorted the villagers, guiding them safely towards the Rehinar territory.
[
Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
