Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Splurt!

Drip!

The administrator, struck by Kalliant Stark’s fist, clutched his blood-gushing nose and trembled. The sudden change in Kalliant’s demeanor felt alien and terrifying.

Slam!

Kalliant stepped on the administrator’s head and asked, “What is my name?”

The administrator coughed up a mouthful of blood before opening his mouth. “Ka—Kalliant Stark… you are the Young Lord.”

“So you do know that I’m not someone you should be looking down on. Did you think that just because Franz protects you, you’ve become a member of the Stark Family?”

The administrator, Ralph.

He was one of the individuals who had come with Kalliant to Altair, a place known as the worst frontline. However, instead of helping Kalliant, he had been steadily skimming off Altair’s operational funds.

Before Beliat’s possession, the original Kalliant had known this but was too afraid of Ralph’s backer, Franz, to take any action.

“That is absolutely not the case!” a startled Ralph shouted immediately, bowing his head toward Kalliant.

“If you know that, then you’d better start the repairs again to ensure no one can break through.”

“I—I understand.”

At Kalliant’s warning, both the supervisor and Ralph scrambled to their feet.

“And the budget you played with—double it. I am the son of a Margrave. Make sure you realize that even Franz couldn’t do anything if I decided to kill the likes of you.”

They shivered at Kalliant’s threat.

“U-understood.”

Their faces turned pale as they nodded. Unlike before, the two moved as quickly as frightened mice. They realized that if they ignored the order, their heads would roll.

“…”

The workers watching this scene were collectively speechless. Kalliant turned toward them, the veins in his neck bulging as he shouted, “Mealtime is over! How much longer are you going to sit around, you slugs!”

Rumble.

Terrified, the workers hurried their steps to continue the fortress wall repairs.

* * *

Back when he was the Demon King Beliat, Kalliant’s temperament had been extremely violent. That nature had not simply vanished. However, he was now merely the weak son of a Count.

‘How pathetic.’

The fact irritated him, but Kalliant accepted it and decided to change things drastically. To achieve his goal, he needed three years. Altair was far too dangerous a place for that.

There were two major threats. First, life-threatening battles occurred constantly. Second, assassins targeting Kalliant were stationed throughout Altair. They threatened him while he ate, while he dressed, and even when he wandered the battlefield.

It was difficult to survive in this frail body under such conditions.

“Meeting Ludger will be my last chance.”

To overcome this situation, he needed the power of Ludger Stark, the Margrave and Kalliant’s father. There were ten days left until he arrived at Altair. He had to prepare a bargaining chip before then.

Rain, who had been watching Kalliant from behind as he planned at his desk, spoke in an anxious tone. “…Young Lord. Regardless of everything, the Count is your father.”

“Hm? Oh. Right, he was my father.”

Seeing her master readily correct the title, Rain sighed inwardly in relief. “It might be for the best. Perhaps talking to the Count this time and returning to the family would be more beneficial—”

“Are you telling me to become a pathetic sight?”

“…Th-that is…”

When Kalliant lowered his voice, Rain tensed up instinctively. The weak, rambling appearance he usually had was nowhere to be seen; the current Kalliant radiated a razor-sharp pressure. Moreover, his crimson eyes, which once looked like they were flickering out, now burned as if they would incinerate everything nearby.

Clatter!

Startled by his gaze, Rain dropped the tray she was holding, shattering the teacup and teapot.

“I-I misspoke. I-I am sorry.”

Tears welled in the eyes of the terrified Rain. Kalliant, realizing his mistake, quickly reined in his emotions.

The covenant he had made after his defeat by Chait was deeply rooted in his mind. Among the rules was to control his uncontrollable temper and to listen to what others had to say. Whether he kept the covenant or broke it didn’t have significant side effects, but as a supreme being, he valued the promises he made and intended to keep them.

Suppressing his anger with difficulty, Kalliant reached down to pick up the shards of the broken porcelain.

“Are you hurt?”

“Y-Young Lord?! You’ll cut your hand. I’ll pick it up.”

Clink, clink.

Despite her protest, Kalliant placed the broken pieces onto the tray. Rain watched him with an anxious expression as she picked up the remaining shards. ‘Can a person really change this suddenly?’

After his near-death experience, Kalliant had changed completely, from his manner of speech to his behavior. If before he had been too overwhelmed by threats to care about those around him, he now possessed the composure to calmly observe his surroundings and accept conversation.

After cleaning up, Rain sat opposite Kalliant to drink tea, blinking in disbelief. She could hardly believe that she, a mere maid, was sitting and drinking tea with the Young Lord of a Count’s family.

‘To be honest, it feels like a dream.’

Slurp.

Kalliant took a sip of tea, narrowed his eyes slightly, and asked Rain, “…What did you think of me?”

“Th-that is…” Rain hesitated, wary of his reaction.

“Say whatever is on your mind; I won’t punish you. I’m just checking because my memory has been confused since the recent accident.”

“Oh… Y-yes. To be honest, I thought you were a pitiful person.”

“Pitiful?”

“I-I’m sorry!” Rain’s eyes grew watery again.

Snap!

Kalliant’s patience reached its limit, and a vein popped on his forehead as he grew annoyed. “I told you I wouldn’t do anything. More importantly, why did you think that?”

As if sensing his frustration, Rain spoke her mind honestly. “Yes. The Count is a strict and powerful man who rules a harsh territory. Because of that, he enjoys power comparable to a Duke in this country. His standards for his children’s education are rigorous, but the only one who couldn’t keep up with the Count’s values was…”

“Me, I suppose.”

“…I’m sorry. I never intended to judge you, Young Lord.”

As if it were someone else’s business, Kalliant continued reading the documents on his desk and said, “Go call Luke.”

“U-understood.” Rain bowed deeply and left the office, still not quite adjusted to the change.

* * *

As the sun reached its zenith, Kalliant’s guardian knight, Luke, entered the office. Luke stood before Kalliant with his right arm wrapped in bandages—the result of another recent assassin attack. He tilted his head at the unexpected summons. It wasn’t as if Kalliant would suddenly appreciate his loyalty now, nor had he done anything wrong.

‘Is he suffering from his usual paranoia?’

Currently, a mountain of documents regarding Altair was piled in front of Kalliant. It was a familiar sight, but Kalliant’s expression was different. Before, he looked like he was forced to handle the work, but now, he seemed to be actively seeking it out. Most of all, his crimson eyes shimmered more intensely than usual; for some reason, he seemed to have found a sense of passion.

‘I was worried when I heard he tried to commit suicide again, but I’m glad he seems okay.’

After the assassins’ ambush, Luke had felt devastated by the news of Kalliant’s suicide attempt. He felt sorry for Kalliant, who was thrown into such a harsh environment at a young age. This was the reality of living as a bloodline of the prestigious Stark Family. However, it was both sad and hollow to know that the master he protected had tried to take his own life.

After scanning the documents for a while, Kalliant looked up. “Luke.”

“Y-yes, Young Lord!”

“Recently, after doing something foolish, I’ve been in a state of great memory confusion.”

“A-are you alright?”

Seeing Luke react with shock, Kalliant shrugged. “Well, that’s a minor issue. More importantly, I plan to change my way of acting from now on.”

“What do you mean by that…?”

“When a trial is given, I will face it instead of avoiding it.”

Gulp.

Luke wondered if Kalliant was planning something foolish like a rebellion, but Kalliant continued calmly. “And to do that, I need time to build my strength.”

“How much time do you need?”

“Three years.”

“…That will be impossible.” It was a sad reality, but the family had already sent Kalliant to Altair to discard him. There was no reason to give him three years of leisure.

“Normally, yes. But what if there is a result?”

“A result?”

“My father arrives in ten days. Before then, I intend to produce a result to use for negotiation.”

“Can you really create a result worth using as a bargaining chip by then?” Luke asked, flustered, but Kalliant nodded.

“Of course.”

“What kind of result is it?”

Kalliant turned the map so Luke could see it easily and asked a question. “What monster has been attacking the territory recently?”

“…It is a pack of Orcs.”

The reproductive capability of Orcs is beyond imagination. No matter how many you kill, their numbers swell even more by the next year. Furthermore, it was currently the hunting season after their breeding period, when they sought food for their offspring. In other words, their strength was at its peak. To survive the upcoming harsh winter, they moved even more ferociously in search of prey. However, Altair was filled with predators that far surpassed Orcs. Consequently, the creatures eventually sought out easier prey—humans—and attacked the villages. It was because of an Orc pack’s raid that the walls of Altair had collapsed. If this situation wasn’t resolved, other nations might take advantage of the opening to invade.

“No way?!”

Immediately after answering, Luke realized something and stared at the map. The places Kalliant had marked were all locations where the Orcs were suspected to be stationed.

“…I will strike them and produce a result.”

Thump.

Luke felt his heart drop at the sudden declaration. He slammed his hand on the desk to stop him. “That’s insane! We don’t even have enough power for defense, and you’re planning something so reckless? If you’re going to do that, you might as well…”

The moment he was about to speak, Kalliant cut him off. “Just commit suicide alone? Is that what you were going to say?”

“N-no, that’s not it.”

At Kalliant’s bold statement, Luke groaned. Kalliant twisted a corner of his mouth into a smirk. “I no longer have any intention of committing suicide. Instead, I’ve decided to be honest with my desires.”

“Honest with your desires?”

“I will forge my own path… and I will cut down even the buds of those who stand in my way.”

“D-does that mean…”

Just as Luke was about to ask if he was aiming for the position of Head of the House, Kalliant interrupted again. “It’s nothing that grand. I’m just trying to keep a promise I made to a certain man.”

“…?”

Luke had no way of understanding that, so he just chewed over Kalliant’s words. In truth, Kalliant’s inner thoughts were very simple. For someone who had done nothing but slaughter, ‘rehabilitation’ meant helping others. Monsters caused great harm to humans and the environment. Eradicating such beasts was surely one way to rehabilitate.

‘Ah, rehabilitation might be easier than I thought.’

If Chait had seen this, he would have screamed, “No! You idiot!” but there was no way Kalliant would care.

Soon after, having finalized his plan, Kalliant licked his upper lip and suddenly uttered a strange phrase. “Ah, is the party starting?”

“P-party?”

“A party filled with the scent of blood, where we kill and are killed. It’s the greatest moment to feel alive. Aren’t you excited?”

Shudder!

At those beyond-imagination words, Luke’s face turned deathly pale. ‘…Was that not it?’ Kalliant muttered with a troubled expression, realizing a bit late that he might have slipped up. “Rehabilitation is difficult.”