Book Eater

――――――――――!

Waves of light burst from the collision point.

The two hidden techniques had created a shockwave that suddenly generated a huge amount of heat, causing the atmosphere to be burned and pushed back.

It was impossible to even make a sound. Only three swords continued through the light and sound to move forward.

Adolf’s hidden technique was literally superb. It was a blow that even amplified aura waves, as if he thought that the combined power of the two strikes wasn’t enough. The aura that appeared in the form of a wolf was dozens of times stronger than a normal attack.

In comparison, Leonardo’s hidden technique was simply unexceptional.

It was called Slash of Wrath (Zornhau).

Even a person who wasn’t trained in swordsmanship could use it forcefully. It was simply a diagonal slash from an upper corner to the side with all of their might. He didn’t add any high-level techniques or tricks.

Kang!

The moment the violently exploding light subsided, a longsword fell to the ground.

"Cough!”

Swordmaster Leonardo, who had exchanged positions with the death knight, suddenly coughed up bright red blood.

Fortunately, there was no injury to the intestines. It seemed that there was just some internal bleeding from the intense hit of aura. A swordmaster who exceeded human durability could recover from this within a few minutes.

“Kuhuk.”

Leonardo laughed bitterly as he managed to pull himself up.

‘If I had used the artifact that Brother gave me, I would’ve blocked it perfectly... This isn’t something that should’ve been done like this.’

Putting it nicely, he did it because of his pride as a swordsman.

He wanted to compete purely with sword vs swords, to test his martial ability.

The result was clear.

-...It is up to here.

The death knight, Adolf, dropped the falchions in both hands.

At almost the same time, a sound rang out.

It was the sound of the armor becoming rags after hundreds of sword strikes and the cut upper body that slid down.

Thump.

By the time Adolf’s upper body fell to the ground, the lower half of his body had already turned into black magic power and scattered.

It was a fatal injury that couldn’t be restored despite having the core of the dungeon.

The outcome of a duel that spanned centuries was decided.

“It was a good battle, Ancestor,” Leonardo politely said with a slightly pale face.

Adolf looked up at the ceiling of the cave and chuckled.

The two swordsmen returned to being a senior and a junior only after the life or death battle was over.

-I was really lucky. Not only did I meet an outstanding descendant, but I also completed my duty as the head of the family. It isn’t a bad ending for a fool who didn’t die properly.

“Are you satisfied?”

-Yes. The final act was a bit regrettable. The hidden technique you showed me used your ability, right?

“Yes.”

Leonardo obediently confirmed it.

The self-created Nameless One Style Strike.

It was due to his own aura ability that allowed him to elevate the simple diagonal slash into the realm of a deadly attack.

Adolf had lived during the wartime era and could thus easily deduce its identity.

-It is ‘compression’ and ‘reinforcement.’ You thoroughly mastered the basics and exploded what you accumulated. It is a simple but good move.

“Thank you.”

-If possible, I want to compete with abilities, but this is a luxury for a dead person. It is your victory, descendant.

It was exactly as he said.

The death knight was an undead who was revived from a swordmaster, but as a price, he had lost his aura abilities in return.

The gap was huge even if he could have used the immortality and dread aura unique to the undead. The odds of victory would’ve been small if Leonardo had faced Adolf as an enemy while he was alive.

However, Adolf accepted his defeat.

The fight itself was a miracle, so he was satisfied.

-Is it time to go...?

The soul captured by black magic finally regained its freedom after centuries.

As the body surrounded by armor started to crumble like dust, the voice gradually dissipated.

-Wolf Spirit... Did you, see it properly...?

“Yes, I saw it clearly.”

Adolf deliberately delayed the hidden technique by a few beats.

It was in textbook form so that the descendant in front of him could receive his heart.

Leonardo already had the talent of a genius. After a bit of trial and error, he would be able to learn the hidden technique.

Adolf was satisfied with this answer and slowly closed his eyes.

-Ahh.... Finally, I can rest...

Light flashed a few times from the cracked helmet before going out.

It didn’t blink again.

It was the end of the swordsman who died due to the grimoire Death’s Worship and had his life mocked twice.

From now on, no one would be able to disturb his rest.

“...Rest in peace, Ancestor.”

Leonardo politely paid his respects before picking up his longsword.

His hand that was torn by the repulsive force hurt a bit, but he didn’t deserve to be a warrior if that minimal pain caused him to let go of the sword.

The swordmaster, who was now the only one left, paid a silent tribute for a moment.

“Uncle!”

“Uncle!”

The siblings belatedly approached him from a distance.

Was it the effect of seeing a master-level fight in real time? The children’s faces were red.

In particular, Verus was also clenching his fists without realizing it.

“I knew you would win! As expected of Uncle!”

He was different from Adellia, who wasn’t able to see most of the duel.

His extraordinary vision captured the duel between the two swordmasters without fail, which ignited the fighting spirit of the red dragon bloodline. He was a bit excited because the level difference was so great.

Leonardo laughed when he saw this reaction.

“Oh, I told you to trust me, right?”

It was a harder fight than he expected, but he patted the shoulders of the siblings without showing a hint of it.

The aftertaste was bitter, but it was a good experience.

Not only was restoring the hidden technique of the Clovis family more than he expected, the experience of dueling with Death Knight Adolf would take Leonardo to even greater heights.

However, there was no time to savor it.

Kurururung!

The whole space shook with a loud sound and the dungeon that lost its core monster started to collapse.

Cracks appeared like spiderwebs in the ceiling, which had been fine until a few minutes ago, leading to stone fragments falling down.

It was an unstable dungeon, so the speed of its collapse was extremely fast.

“Guys, grab my belt!”

Leonardo cried out as a stalactite fell.

There was an artifact he brought with him in case of such a situation.

The moment the siblings held onto his belt, Leonardo immediately shouted the starter word.

“[Home!]”

At the same time, light flashed.

Dozens of seconds later, the ceiling collapsed and soil poured down to fill the space.

* * *

Flash!

A brilliant light swirled and the figures of three people appeared in empty air.

It was Leonardo, Adellia, and Verus, who all had tired expressions.

Leonardo had used an artifact that Theodore distributed to all his family members.

It was a magic tool that could return them to the mansion under any circumstances. According to the explanation given, it worked even within the barrier of the empire. For a simple artifact for escaping, its ability was at the level of a national treasure or even higher.

“Sigh, I really would’ve died without this.”

Leonardo sighed as he looked at the pendant around his neck.

His words weren’t a joke.

Even a swordmaster had no way to survive if he was buried alive in a cave. Of course, it would have been possible if he possessed an ability specialized in destructive power. With it, he could have broken the ceiling, but Leonardo’s power was useful strictly against other people.

The two siblings nodded while still holding onto his belt.

As they nodded,

.

“Oh my, our young master almost died?”

A sharp voice came from behind the group.

The group of three froze like frogs encountering a snake and then slowly turned their heads. They saw Veronica facing them with a bright smile, her red hair was blazing like flames.

In addition, Sylvia was standing behind her with a stern expression. The siblings stiffened.

‘It’s over.’

Leonardo gulped dryly and opened his lips.

“...Sisters-in-law, were you waiting for us?”

“Huhu.”

Instead of answering, Veronica laughed ominously and glared at the children hiding behind him.

“I don’t think the young master would’ve offered to take the children with him, so it looks like our little ones made trouble. Right?”

“T-That...”

“I know everything, so don’t make excuses. I would like to hear more about what happened, but before that—”

Veronica’s figure blurred for a moment. When she appeared, she was gripping the necks of the siblings.

It was a sudden attack that even Leonardo couldn’t react to.

“Adell, Ver. Look at me. I thought you two were just being a bit quiet, but it seems you were actually getting in trouble. Huh?”

“I’m sorry, Mother.”

“Mom! I’ve studied a lot. Just take a look—kek!”

Unlike Adellia, who obediently reflected on her actions, Verus was rebellious. As a result, he went limp with a single hit to his head. He was grabbing the back of his head and rolling around on the floor like he couldn’t even scream.

Leonardo broke out in a cold sweat at the devastation, but it wasn’t something that could be solved by him stepping forward.

Fortunately, there was a voice that saved him.

“Good job, Young Master. Was the dungeon solved well?” Sylvia, who had followed Veronica, asked in a calm voice.

“Ah! Yes, Sister-in-law. It was definitely handled.”

“I’m glad. Is there anything I need to know?”

“Umm.”

Leonardo briefly organized his thoughts before opening his mouth.

“In that dungeon, I—”

The story he told wasn’t long. He briefly summarized the content while removing the cheesy descriptions and was able to finish in less than five minutes.

“...Indeed, it was the skeleton knight from that time.”

Sylvia heard the whole story and nodded with a strange expression. The mighty enemy that had threatened her and Randolph decades ago had been resurrected once again.

She could only say that it was a strange fate.

It was fortunate that he was satisfied in the end.

With a faint smile on her face, Sylvia comforted Leonardo.

“It has been a big day for you in many ways, Young Master. Reb has been waiting since long ago, so go ahead. Dinner is ready.”

“Thank you. Ah, but those two...?”

Leonardo turned his head cautiously and saw a pillar of fire rising in the distance.

It was in the direction the Miller siblings were dragged by Veronica.

It seemed it would be difficult to have dinner together. There was nothing he could do.

“Ah, it’s okay. You don’t have to worry,” Sylvia said with cold eyes.

“Once Sister’s punishment is over, I’m going to scold them as well. This will never happen again.”

“Ha, haha...”

Someone once said that it was even more frightening when someone who usually didn’t get angry became angry.

For the first time, Leonardo was able to understand.

Therefore, he turned away from the siblings and moved his feet.

Knowing when a battle couldn’t be won and withdrawing was also a skill for a warrior. There was nothing he could do even if Adellia and Verus were very pitiful.

“Then I’ll be off, Sister-in-law.”

“Yes, have a good time with Reb.”

Leonardo left after Sylvia’s goodbye.

He heard something explode and fly away on the other side of the yard, but he didn’t look back.

He had a loving wife and a soon-to-be born child!

Leonardo crossed the garden with urgent steps and soon reached the front door of the mansion. He placed his hand on the doorknob, which felt heavy today, and suddenly wondered what his brother was up to.

‘I also want to go to Elvenheim one time.’

The land of the elves located in the Northern Great Forest. There, the World Tree was said to soar higher than clouds, where there were moving trees and dryads that played on them.

It was a place he wanted to visit with his wife someday.

Looking up at the red sunset sky, Leonardo pictured the Elvenheim he hadn’t seen yet.

The loud sound of explosions in the distance was meaningless.