The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-430

Chapter 430: The Lion King (1)

A castle located on the northern continent, near the coast..

The blue ocean waves shimmered below the high, towering old fortress, nestled between the beach and the coastal cliffs.

Several fishermen could be seen working on the beach below.

Whiiing-

A warm wind was inexplicably blowing from the distant sea.

Bubble bubble bubble-

White foam rose from the rocky reef forest.

This phenomenon occurs when schools of warm-water fish gather.

“Geez, where have all the other fish gone? We’re only catching these guys?”

One fisherman said, looking troubled.

The sea had become unusually warm, and as a result, warm-water fish, which only appear when the water temperature is high, were increasing in number.

Rumble-

Come to think of it, the sky had been pitch black for several days.

Dark clouds, wrapping around the sun in layers, were making it impossible to distinguish between day and night.

The fishermen clicked their tongues.

“It’s an ominous sign. An ominous sign.”

“Did a volcano erupt somewhere far out at sea? Why is the water so warm?”

“Remember there was a big earthquake recently. It must be because of that.”

“When schools of warm-water fish appear, the sea turns dark red… the other fish will die en masse.”

“My joints are aching like they’re going to break, looks like a heavy rain is coming soon. Let’s wrap it up quickly.”

The fishermen hurriedly gathered their nets and returned to the shore.

On the beach, wooden stalls were lined up, and the caught warm-water fish were drying on them.

Due to the famine, there was nothing to eat, so it was fortunate to catch plenty of warm-water fish.

If they dried these well, they could last for a couple of months.

At that moment,

The fishermen all bowed their heads simultaneously.

“Oh my! The knights are coming!”

“Let’s bow quickly, we don’t want to meet their eyes and get into trouble.”

“They weren’t like this before… but these days, they’re all acting strange.”

“Let’s hurry into the hut.”

The fishermen, glancing towards the horizon, saw a group of knights approaching.

The invincible cavalry of the Donquixote clan, which had been dispatched to the civil war zone.

It seemed that some of them were returning to the household.

The knights of the Donquixote clan, who were known for their good nature, greeting common citizens and occasionally helping with work, started changing ever since Cervantes, the head of the clan, secluded himself due to illness.

The knights all became stern and cold, perhaps because of the orders from Monte, the acting head, who emphasized dignity and authority.

Not only did they stop initiating greetings, but they also wouldn’t respond to them at all, and there was no conversation or interaction whatsoever.

Moreover, they displayed inhumane behavior, such as running over children playing by the roadside with their horses, causing the citizens to be very afraid of the Donquixote clan knights.

This fear-filled gaze from the common citizens was also felt by those leading the cavalry.

Tudor. Disguised in armor, was heartbroken by the sight of the territory’s residents averting their eyes from him.

The elderly who used to cheerfully wave their hats, the young men who offered dried fish or grilled fish, and the children who approached to play were all gone.

“…Monte, no, Chimera. You are utterly unforgivable for making the Donquixote territory fall into such decay.”

“Hold it in, Tudor. Control your anger. We might get exposed.”

Bianca, who was riding beside him, said to Tudor.

Night twerkers, disguised in the armor of the Donquixote clan, mingled within the ranks of the knights as they returned to the clan estate.

The knights, whose brainwashing had partially worn off, deeply regretted their actions and willingly cooperated with the strategy.

The clan’s main fortress was now within sight.

Once they crossed this point, Night walkers would separate and follow Tudor through a secret passage.

Whiiing-

The unpleasantly warm sea breeze penetrated through their helmets, carrying a musty odor.

“Ugh, what’s that smell?”

Bianca, sensitive to odors, was the first to grimace.

Sancho sniffed and spoke up.

“It’s the smell of drying warm-water fish. They tend to have a particularly strong odor.”

“It’s really pungent,” Figgy added, waving his hand in front of his nose.

As they passed through the beach, filled with the smell of drying fish, they eventually saw the high gates of the Donquixote clan fortress located on the coastal cliff.

Creak—

As the invincible cavalry raised their banner, the gates automatically opened.

They had successfully infiltrated the enemy stronghold.

“…”

Night Walkers discreetly separated from the knights’ formation crossing the training grounds.

“This way.”

Tudor led them close to the outer wall, moving towards the bushes.

This was a passage typically used by servants, but beneath the wall, there was a secret door leading inside.

The Donquixote knights, wore vacant expressions as they entered, to avoid arousing the demon’s suspicion.

Upon receiving the signal, they would swiftly move to seize the empty castle.

Then, at the critical moment, they would launch a surprise attack on Monte.

“To do that, we need to find Monte first and lure him out of the fortress,” Dolores said, and everyone nodded in agreement.

Soon, led by Tudor, Night Walkers took a back route towards the fortress.

“Here it is.”

Tudor infused mana into his fingertip and pushed one of the bricks in the wall.

Grrr—

A tunnel leading underground was revealed.

Night Walkers crawled into the tunnel.

…Click!

An old solid fuel torch, made from dried whale fat, was attached to a wooden stick.

Lighting a match against the hardened yellowish lump made several torches ignited.

“Good, it’s still working. I thought it wouldn’t light up because it’s so old.”

“If needed, I could have used a light spell.”

“No, we should avoid using mana as much as possible. The demon might sense it.”

Tudor handed one of the torches to Sinclaire.

And so, Dolores, Tudor, Sancho, Figgy, Bianca, and Sinclaire, a total of six assassins, embarked on their mission.

This was both the journey of demon hunters going to hunt a demon and the path of an eldest son, expelled from his clan, reclaiming his rights.

Noticing Tudor’s slight tremble, Bianca reached out and patted his back.

“Don’t be nervous. The eldest son is supposed to inherit the clan headship. We have the rightful claim, so why be afraid?”

“…You’re right. It’s strange to be nervous when I’m reclaiming what’s rightfully mine.”

Tudor took a deep breath and stood tall.

Bianca, noticing Tudor’s empty left arm, looked at him with sad eyes but then bit her lip and gripped her bow tightly.

She realized once again that she was in no position to feel sympathy for anyone, nor did she have the luxury to do so.

* * *

After passing through several underground passages and double doors, they finally reached the deep interior of the main fortress.

Tudor removed his iron mask and helmet.

His single arm tensed with determination.

The past years felt freshly vivid. Once, he had freely wandered the corridors in just a bathrobe after a shower, but now, he had to sneak through in full armor.

Just then, a few maids appeared around the corner of the corridor.

“Oh? Young master?”

Surprisingly, the maids didn’t seem shocked to see Tudor.

“What brings you here at this hour?”

“…”

Tudor felt his hand, holding the spear, grow sweaty.

It seemed the maids were unaware of Tudor’s current standing within the clan.

“Nothing much. Just thought I’d visit home after a long time.”

“Really? You’ve been out? We haven’t seen you around lately. Is there something happening in the territory?”

The maids looked at Tudor with concern.

Tudor adjusted the black cloak covering his left arm and smiled slightly.

“Something like that. How is Father doing?”

“We don’t really know. We haven’t seen him lately. We can only serve him through Count Monte.”

“…Only through my uncle?”

“Yes—Master has been very ill. It’s reassuring that Count Monte is always by his side, taking care of him with such dedication.”

At that moment, one of the maids spoke up.

“But there’s something strange. Whenever we go near the master’s room, there’s always a strange, foul smell…”

Tudor raised an eyebrow, and another maid quickly covered the speaker’s mouth in shock.

“Hey! Why are you saying such unnecessary things?”

“No, I just…”

“I told you, it’s just your sensitive nose! Stop being so unnecessarily sensitive.”

The maids hurriedly ended the conversation and bowed to Tudor.

“We must go now. The head maid is calling us. We need to assist the invincible cavalry knights who just returned to the main house.”

“Hmm. Yes, go ahead.”

Tudor let the maids leave.

As soon as the maids disappeared, his companions, who had been hiding between the ceiling and the columns, descended to the floor.

“What did the maids say? One of them seemed a bit off.”

“I don’t know, I didn’t catch the whole thing.”

“Ugh, you idiot! You should have interrogated them!”

“They seemed to know nothing. They’ve always been inside the main house. What could they possibly know about the outside situation? It’s more important that we move quickly now.”

Tudor’s point was valid.

Having infiltrated this far, they had no time to interrogate maids who knew nothing.

Nightwalkers swiftly passed through the shadowed corridors and headed for the spiral staircase.

Soon, they saw the master’s quarters down the darkened hallway.

The room where the ailing Cervantes lay.

Two knights stood guard at the entrance.

“Who goes there?”

“The master is not receiving any visitors at the moment… Gah!?”

The knights gasped in surprise at the sight of Tudor.

But their surprise was short-lived. Their eyes turned blood-red, their mouths stretched to their ears, and their tongues split into two, protruding out.

[How is the young master here?]

[Well, welcome nonetheless!]

The knights immediately transformed into Majins upon seeing Tudor’s face. It was more than just the effect of brainwashing.

Bianca’s arrows flew without hesitation.

…Thwack!

She was at least two steps faster than the knights.

With arrows embedded in their foreheads, the two demonized knights were instantly speared through the throat and heart by Tudor’s lance.

“I ended up using mana. What now?”

“It should be masked by the demons’ aura. Still, we should break through as quickly as possible.”

Tudor and Bianca turned their heads.

Dolores, sensing the flow of mana around them with her eyes closed, nodded in agreement.

It seemed they hadn’t been detected yet, as there was no sign of alarm.

Stepping over the corpses of the demonized knights, Night Walkers pressed on further.

“Is Father going to be alright?”

“Of course. He’s the Great General. Even if he’s unwell, as long as we get him away from the demon’s influence, he’ll recover quickly. Plus, we have Senior Dolores with us.”

Tudor and Bianca were leading the way.

Then—

“…!”

Everyone felt it.

Whiiing—

A warm sea breeze blew in through the window, carrying a musty odor.

“Ugh, the smell of drying fish.”

Bianca covered her nose.

But Tudor’s expression hardened.

This wasn’t the smell from the coast.

The stench was far worse than drying warm-water fish. It was emanating from the cracks of the door, from where Lion King Cervantes was.

Crack!

Tudor shattered the locked doorknob with a squeeze of his hand and burst into the room.

“…!?”

And then, Tudor and everyone else realized why the maids they met earlier had reacted the way they did.