(28) Duke Verskein, Verselc.

Grind~

The leisure sound of rock being rubbed against each other spread across the room. 

According to the book listing the uses of the magical herbs, the two herbs that Nicokel was grinding would work faster on an empty stomach. 

Nicokel who liked efficient utilization followed the book's instructions with no hesitation. 

After a few minutes, the two magical herbs had fully blended into a paste. The paste had the taints of white and red mixed into it. 

Ignoring the noxious stench, Nicokel picked up the green paste using his fingers and put it into his mouth. 

Almost immediately, Nicokel's face grew pale. 

'...Freaking disgusting.' 

Forcing himself to swallow all of the green paste, Nicokel grew breathless, with Nausea rising to the head. 

Cleaning his hands, Nicokel directly laid on the bed and fell asleep faster than ever. 

 The magical herbs would take a while to affect the body, hence Nicokel decided to sleep to ignore the disgusting aftertaste in his mouth. 

'...Drinking water would slow down the magical herb's effect too...' With this as the last thought, Nicokel dozed off. 

....

"Why do you think humans create weapons to kill each other?" The Captain of Halbert when he just joined an assault team, spoke, flicking the cigarette in his hand.

"Because humans are inherently evil." Halbert with still sparks of life in his eyes responded. 

A light smile spread across the captain's face upon hearing Halbert's quick answer. 

"That's right. Humans are inherently evil. We look for ways to dominate others one way or the other, there may be people who say otherwise — But, I want to believe that Humans are inherently evil." 

Seeing the usually quiet captain speak so much, Nicokel's attention was drawn to him. 

There he saw it, eyes similar to the ones he possessed in the future. Those eyes didn't see the things around them as alive. 

Numerous scars covered the captain's face, showing his rough past experiences. And due to his eyes, people could misunderstand him to be a corpse. 

The young Halbert nodded his head: "I think humanity's strength lies in our evilness too though. Our cruelty is what brought us this far, and it is also the only hope for our victory..." 

"Haha..." A dry laugh left the Captain's mouth. 

"Do you want to become the Captain....No, just Inherit my position as the captain." Knowing Nicokel's personality, the Captain changed his words midway. 

"Retiring...?" Disappointment passed through Nicokel's eyes. He wasn't looking down on the captain's action but was disappointed that he couldn't learn more from him. 

"No...I am just moving on." 

Looking at the Captain's eyes, Nicokel knew what he meant involuntarily. 

The Captain was going to die in the next raid. But never did Nicokel consider that, along with him, he took out the whole camp of the empire with suicide bombing, giving him the title of laughing terrorist. 

The last words that the Captain spoke echoed into Nicokel's ears. 

"We are similar, Halbert, I can tell that. However, Our fate is different. I was able to complete my revenge, but I don't see that happening to you. You will change...and become something far worse than me." A light grin spread across the Captain's face. 

Two bloodshot eyes opened in the darkness instantly. 

'....I didn't expect to dream about that guy.' Nicokel got up stretching his numb body. 

Now that he remembered his conversation with the Captain, Nicokel fell into silence. 

'...Captain Girvt already predicted my personality development path, huh?' 

Not a soldier, not an avenger, or even a commander. Nicokel was none of them anymore, he was just what remained of the countless suffering he went through throughout his life. 

'Nevermind. I should get ready for the welcome party now.' Nicokel's eyes traveled to the mirror, reflecting his haggard face. 

He didn't have much of a change in his physique, but after moving around for a while, he knew that his strength had increased slightly. 

He had a feeling that in a week, his body would match his mana reserve. 

'...The magical herb just strengthens my body, comparable to one week of training. That is unexpectedly low...' Nicokel heard a knock on the door as he basked in disappointment. 

...

The people gathering in the Verskein Dukedom weren't just the minor nobles below them. 

Royal princes and princesses. 

Duke messengers and anyone with close relation to the Verskein family came. 

The war with the barbarian kingdom was the main focus of the Desroth empire. This kingdom was the only neighboring nation that could pose any kind of danger to them. 

It was the evening when Duke Verskein entered the city. 

The citizens cheered in excitement and a path made of flowers filled the streets. 

Instead of sitting in the carriage, Duke Verskein, Verselc — Sat on horseback to accommodate the citizens welcoming him. 

Verselc had white hair with a bluish hue around it, carrying a small trait of his mother. He appeared to be in his prime, even though his actual age was over 30 years. 

It wasn't weird to see people living more than hundreds of years in this world. 

A huge group of soldiers paraded behind Verselc, they were all elite knights — Liquid phase mana users. A group of salamanders moved along with the soldiers too. 

Just a step behind Verselc was the knight commander, who had a bulky build and long arm. He was like a legendary figure in the Verskein family, not only was he strong, but even his commanding skills were at the peak of the world.

There was even a saying that as long as the knight commander, Jeorhed led the army, victory was guaranteed. 

The whole parade headed towards the mansion slowly. Throughout this, the citizens sang in welcome to them. 

After a while, Verselc and the brigade arrived at the mansion. 

Getting off their horses, Verselc and the knight commander moved into the mansion. Whilst the elite knights moved back to the knight residence. 

"Do you think he changed to the degree pointed by the rumors?" Verselc greeted the people who congratulated him before the mansion and spoke to the knight commander.

"...Does it matter anymore? Young master Gelen is going to challenge Nicokel in a duel in the banquet, rumors have already spread so far. Almost all the elders have approved of it too, so I don't see his future being promising." The knight commander shook his head, not interested much in the subject. 

Verselc was informed of Nicokel's behavior by the head butler, so he knew of his changes. 

"You're right. It's a disappointment that I can't show favor in a formal duel. I can force the duel to disband, but I don't see a reason to make the elders resentful." 

Verselc was such a cautious person.