Chapter 33: 5 Our family has fallen into decline

Chapter 33: 5. Our Family Has Fallen

Butler Dia, who was waiting outside the door, bowed to Dakus as he emerged and said, "Young Master, Young Master Maranur just returned this morning and is currently sleeping. I'm afraid he won't be able to accompany you to the market."

Dakus smiled and said, "As expected, isn't it? I must head out. See you tonight, Butler Dia."

Turning the corner of the stairs, he encountered the family's Law Enforcement Champion, Karsley. Dakus had heard from his cousin that this Duruchi had studied in Hal Gansi, following the path of an executioner, specializing in the use of a curved executioner's blade. He had never heard him speak; he seemed to be a mute.

Dakus smiled and nodded in greeting, but Karsley stood there staring blankly at him, his face devoid of any expression. The two Duruchi passed each other.

In the hall, a waiter hurried over, bowed three times to Dakus, and said, "Young Master, a nobleman named Walter Thornspire is in the waiting room requesting an audience with you."

"Fine. Go call him out directly. Tell him to meet me at the stables." Having said that, Dakus descended the steps, crossed the garden, and headed toward the stables; he needed to check on the three Takaia siblings.

As Dakus led his horse, a limping Duruchi approached him, stopping three paces away. "My Lord, your retainer, Walter Thornspire, pays his respects!" he said, struggling to drop to one knee.

"Did you ride here?"

"No, My Lord."

"Can you ride?"

"Yes, My Lord."

"Get up. Mount a horse. Do you know where the Takaia ancestral home is?"

"Yes, My Lord."

Dakus scrutinized Walter. He was wearing only a thick brown leather doublet; he had no robe, no Hardrica, and no noble scimitar at his waist.

*What's the situation? A fallen house? No way, right?*

Walter struggled to mount the horse and controlled it to a distance of two paces from Dakus.

"Where are your robe and Hardrica?"

Walter's face was pale, and he spoke with lingering fear. "My Lord, there were two Stone Viper snakes in my wardrobe just now. I reacted quickly and ran straight out, and came directly here." He lowered his head after speaking.

*Holy crap, why does this sound so familiar? Is this some kind of Marus script?*

Dakus asked, "If I hadn't been here, would you have stayed in the waiting room the whole time?"

"Yes, My Lord. I have nothing left."

Dakus shook his head and said, "Let's go. To the Takaia estate. Ride fast."

The two Duruchi nobles galloped through the noble district. Although Walter's gait was somewhat limping, his horsemanship was excellent.

A squad of patrolling city guards passed by Dakus, eyes fixed straight ahead, marching in formation as if the two nobles did not exist. The rapid thundering of hooves seemed as though it had never reached their ears.

The Takaia ancestral home was extremely dilapidated, completely out of place among the surrounding noble manors. It looked incredibly ancient; several spires had collapsed due to years of neglect, and the outer walls were covered in withered vines. The garden was overgrown with weeds, and nearby sat a cart and several shovels. The cart held some freshly dug weeds, and there were signs of a struggle—it was a total mess.

Looking at the scene, Dakus mused, "Our family has fallen? What the hell is this place? Four people go in, five come out crazy. Anyone who didn't know would think this was Sylvania; there's probably a sleeping vampire inside."

"My Lord, shall we?"

"Let's go in and take a look."

After speaking, Dakus dismounted, tethered the horse, and drew his noble scimitar.

As he stepped up the stairs and was about to push open the great doors of the ancestral home, the doors opened on their own.

A servant from the House of Hell's Calamity stepped back and bowed to him. Dakus looked at the servant.

"What are you doing here?"

"Young Master, Butler Dia sent us to serve you."

Dakus nodded and sheathed his weapon. "Where are they?"

"Young Master, they are resting in the upstairs bedrooms."

"Is it convenient?"

"Young Master, they are still sleeping. Do you need me to wake them?"

"Then I won't disturb them. I'll come back tomorrow. You must take good care of them."

Without waiting for an answer, Dakus turned and signaled Walter to leave. He had left in a hurry this morning; he needed to go back and fetch some Sovereins, a defensive repeating crossbow, and a flintlock musket. He would also grab a spare noble robe and scimitar for Walter. He could swear on his life that tomorrow, those three siblings would be weeping with gratitude toward Newckel. *Forget it, don't think about it. Let nature take its course.*

They chatted as they walked out of Nightwatch Castle. Upon reaching the great bridge, the thugs who collected "Red Poison River sightseeing fees" saw Dakus and scurried away from a distance.

The bridge was fifteen meters wide. At its highest central point stood a statue of Kane: his right foot forward, clad in spiked armor, arms held level. His left hand gripped a heart, while his right held a serrated sword pointing upward, his expression ferocious.

Dakus frowned at the statue and thought, "What a piece of junk. Next time I see you, I'm definitely punching you!"

"Where did you go for your trials?"

"My Lord, Leonis in Batonia."

Dakus laughed. "Hey, what a coincidence! Did you encounter that female knight?"

"By Kane, I did. I encountered her shortly after landing. It wasn't just her, but the entire knight order she led. Half the Duruchi died on the spot; only a small fraction managed to flee back to the ships."

Dakus looked at Walter with sympathy. "I also encountered a Duruchi participating in the trials before; he ran into them while retreating."

Reaching the center of the bridge, Dakus stopped. The cold wind tousled his hair. He looked at the black arks moored at the western noble pier, and the countless Duruchi raiding ships moored at the eastern pier. Black masts crowded the coast of the City of Ships, lined up neatly upon the nearly frozen Sea of Malice. On the horizon, scattered Duruchi raiding ships were making their way back.

Looking at everything before him, Dakus felt an intense sense of unreality, as if he were in a dream from which he could not wake. He was speechless, his eyes squeezed shut in pain, letting the cold wind whip past him. A moment later, he opened his arms and embraced the world.

Walter seemed to sense Dakus's emotions; his body trembled slightly as he watched Dakus in silence.

After crossing the bridge and passing through the plaza, Dakus spotted a tavern and said, "Come, let's get something to eat first."

Strangely, despite having eaten quite a bit this morning, he felt as though he had eaten nothing at all; he was hungry again. Seeing Walter shivering, he estimated the man hadn't eaten this morning either.

After tethering the horse, Dakus saw that Walter could dismount normally, so he walked straight up the steps and pushed open the door.

The moment he entered, the boisterous tavern suddenly fell silent. The owner behind the bar, the scantily clad female Duruchi waitresses weaving through the aisles, the rowdy old sea dogs, and the mercenaries playing drinking games—it was as if they had been struck by a silence spell. They all stared blankly at Dakus, who was dressed in a deep purple noble silk robe, wearing a Hardrica, with a noble scimitar hanging at his waist.

Dakus entered, gave a casual wave of his left hand, and walked toward the bar. The surrounding Duruchi quickly stood up and retreated; those at the door reacted even faster, bolting outside. The tavern owner broke into a cold sweat, swallowed hard, and collapsed into a kneel behind the bar.

"Get up. I'm not delaying your business. Send someone to watch my horse at the door, and bring me something delicious."

Having said that, he placed a Souverin on the bar. The owner stood up tremblingly, his voice distorted. "It's no delay, no delay at all. It is my honor that you have come, My Lord."

Dakus didn't want to waste words with him. Walter asked, "What food do you have in the shop?"

"My Lord, we have freshly baked roasted lizard meat and mushroom soup."

Walter looked at Dakus, who nodded.

By this time, there was no fourth Duruchi in the shop; they had all fled.

Dakus found a relatively clean table and sat down. Walter found a cloth to wipe the tabletop before standing vigil by his side.

"Come, eat with me."

(End of Chapter)