Chapter 470 - The Northern Duke (1/2)

Chapter 470: The Northern Duke

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Orida Fortress

Duke Abel tore a piece of paper into pieces in a rage. “All sad, pathetic excuses for men. Seems like I was too soft on all of you!”

The document was a report concerning the turnout rate to a military draft he had authorized in a small town in the North. He had expected 3000 recruits from the place, but only 2000 Warriors were sent back to the fortress, which was only two-thirds of what he had demanded. Duke Abel was not at all satisfied by this.

At that moment, Abel could feel the bloodlust rising in him. His nose twitched unconsciously, and his hand reflexively moved towards the handle of his sword. There was an insatiable thirst growing in him.

He craved the smell of fresh blood. He wanted to see a blood mist spray out of a body when it was cleaved open by his sword. Most of all, he wanted to hear the sound his sword would make when piercing through the flesh of another man, as well as the anguished scream of his victims. He delighted in the murder of small children, especially little girls. Their soft bodies were like pieces of tofu; one smooth slice of the sword was all it would take to cut through their flesh, which offered little to no resistance to the blade.

No, he must not think such thoughts. Should he let himself dwell on them any longer, he feared that he might once again resume his murderous rampage outside the walls of the fortress.

His hand gripped tightly on the sword’s handle, then let go of it for a couple of times. As a result of this, his palm was now slick with sweat. After around ten minutes, Duke Abel finally managed to suppress the urge in him to kill.

He let go of the sword’s handle and began reading another document.

Just then, something flashed in the corner of the wall. He immediately had a hand on his sword, and upon raising his head, saw a dark figure standing in the shadowy corner of the wall.

“Who are you?” Abel demanded.

“Who I am isn’t important. What’s important is that you are now in a precarious position, my dear Marshall,” said the dark shadow, its voice sounding almost pleased about this.

Abel laughed out loud. “Ha, I’ve already attained Legendary power, it would not be a stretch to say that I am the strongest Warrior in the fortress. On top of that, I have with me more than 50,000 Warriors in the fortress. Who would dare attack me?”

The shadow breathed out a name. “The lord of Ferde, Duke Morani.”

At the mention of this name, Abel’s face froze up. In an instant, he had changed into a completely different man. He had enough reason to dread Link, the Legendary Magician. Not only did he possess formidable magic, but Ferde also supplied a majority of the fortress’ resources. To offend Link would mean a disruption to that supply of resources, and the whole fortress would be forced to survive on its stockpiles for at most two months.

After those two months, the Warriors would all be without food, and the fortress would collapse on itself.

“Why would the lord of Ferde confront me without reason?” Abel anxiously said to himself.

The black shadow chuckled softly. It was a sharp, whistle sound, which made Abel uncomfortable. He was itching to dive at the intruder and cut him in half, but for now, he would like to hear what it had to say next. So he managed to restrain all murderous impulses in him for as long as he could.

The shadow then spoke once more, “Because of the power you’ve gained. You’re growing stronger through the act of killing. Did you not find it strange, this craving in you for blood and murder?”

Though its voice was soft, in Abel’s ear, it had sounded like a thunderclap. “Yes, what kind of power derives itself from murder anyway? Even the demons aren’t capable of this. I’ve been feeling more and more bloodthirsty lately. If I were to go one whole day without killing someone, I would feel ill at ease and even find it difficult to sleep at night. I even found myself going through the memory of killing a little girl just now… How is this any different from a demon?”

He had already sensed that there was something wrong with him, but he dared not go into it further. Now, as he reflected on his past actions, he could not help but work up a cold sweat.

Duke Abel had not felt the least bit horrified while indulging in his killing spree. After hearing all this said to him by someone else, though, he could not believe he was even capable of such a thing.

Who was behind the dark shadow?

“You hiding in the shadows, show yourself!” Abel drew his sword out. If the intruder chose not to reveal himself, he would not hesitate to kill him where he stood.

The figure chuckled again and stepped out of the shadows. It was a little girl dressed in a black silk dress. Her body was somewhat serpentine, and her features were exquisitely sculpted and sturdy. She looked at Abel with a sly smile.

“Ah… You’re… It’s you!”

Duke Abel took a step backwards. His mind was thrown into disarray. The girl looked exactly the same as the angel of light who had granted him his power. The only difference was their clothing.

“Yes, it’s me. I was the one who had gifted you the power of murder. Thanks to me, you’ve become a Legendary Warrior. Shouldn’t you be thanking me?”

“You… You’re a demon!” Duke Abel realized he had been tricked.

The girl in the black dress violently waved a hand with a look of disdain on her face. “Don’t lump me in with demons. Those pea-brained brutes are nothing more than my slaves. Oh, my dear Marshall, try not to be too hung up on who I am and start worrying about your current predicament. As far as I know, Link’s on his way to the North, and he already knows about your little secret. If I were you, I would start thinking about how best to defend yourself against the Magician’s wrath.”