Return of the Calamity-Class Death Knight - Chapter 5

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Chapter 5: Training (1)

“Victor! What on earth is going on!”

Paul Haksen, the head of the House of Haksen, grabbed Victor and demanded an explanation.

In a voice devoid of any confidence, Victor recounted the events that had transpired in the city.

Paul Haksen found his statement unbelievable.

“Who are you lying to!”

“I-I’m telling the truth!”

“Damien has never once held a sword in his life! Are you telling me that such a fellow killed dozens, and to add to that, even a squire?”

Victor felt unfairly accused.

The most unjust part was that, upon careful consideration, it didn’t seem logical to him either.

“This won’t do! I need to send someone to confirm this myself!”

Paul Haksen immediately dispatched a steward to Landwork City.

The steward, who had departed at dusk, returned the next day at noon.

“How did it go?”

The steward hesitated to reply. Only when pressed by Paul Haksen did he speak up.

“Victor’s words were correct. There was a massacre at the tavern managed by the Black Serpents. Rumors are spreading all over town that the culprit was a nobleman.”

Paul Haksen grabbed his head.

He felt so confused that it seemed like his surroundings were spinning.

“Thank you for your efforts. You may go now.”

The steward bowed and left.

As the steward disappeared, Paul Haksen turned to his wife.

“Did you hear? It seems that lad got into some serious trouble.”

Paul Haksen was well acquainted with the Black Serpents, often encountering stories about them in the contentious gatherings of nobles.

“This is serious. Now that we’ve provoked the Black Serpents, they won’t leave us alone.”

As much as it wounded his pride, the Haksen Manor was a terribly small noble family.

They lacked the strength to withstand retaliation from a massive organization like the Black Serpents.

“I can’t fathom this at all. As far as I know, Damien has never learned swordsmanship. But then how…”

His wife approached and firmly grasped her husband’s hand.

“Honey, I might not know the details, but… isn’t this somewhat fortunate?”

“Fortunate? What do you mean?”

“Well, at least Damien didn’t return beaten and bruised, right?”

Paul Haksen looked bewildered.

He was about to say that this couldn’t be a joke, but his wife’s expression was genuine.

“I’m as confused as you are. But isn’t it better that Damien returned without being beaten?”

“This time, it’s not just about being beaten…”

Paul Haksen said with a bitter expression.

“Don’t worry about the Black Serpents. How can those rogues lay a finger on nobles like us?”

Though rebuttals continued to come to his mind, Paul Haksen kept them to himself.

He knew that right now, it was important to empathise with his wife.

“We’ll inquire about the situation from that lad later, in detail.”

“…Alright.”

Paul Haksen sighed deeply.

“But what is that lad doing right now?”

“I heard he’s running.”

“Running?”

Paul Haksen looked puzzled.

His wife said it casually, as if it wasn’t a big deal.

“He complains about his weak stamina but has been circling around the estate since dawn.”

The morning after visiting Landwork City.

Damien Haksen rose from bed at dawn.

His body, accustomed to laziness, desired more sleep, but he endured it with superhuman patience.

He changed into comfortable attire and stepped outside.

“It’s been ages since I’ve felt the morning air.”

During his Death Knight days, Damien Haksen was imprisoned within his own body, devoid of freedom.

That’s why the chilly morning air felt particularly welcoming.

Before commencing his morning training, Damien Haksen retrieved a glass bottle he had brought along.

It was the elixir he had stolen from the Andersen Holm.

He brought the bottle to his lips and drank the elixir.

The elixir immediately transformed into vitality coursing through his body.

“The effects are better than I thought.”

From now on, Damien Haksen’s task was to absorb all the vitality obtained from the elixir.

The best way to absorb vitality was to move his body directly.

The more Damien Haksen pushed his body to its limits, the quicker vitality absorbed to aid in his body’s recovery.

“Haa, haa.”

Along the boundaries of the estate, Damien began to run.

Considering he had never trained, his running speed was subpar. Exhaustion caught up quickly, leaving him breathless after a short distance.

“Huff, huff.”

Nevertheless, Damien didn’t stop running.

Despite the agony, he felt the elixir’s vitality being rapidly absorbed.

In truth, Damien didn’t possess extensive knowledge of training the human body. He merely replicated training methods learned from the captain during his mercenary days.

“But still, it was based on the training methods of a knight family.”

Surprisingly, the captain he served in his past life had been an apprentice knight. Everything he learned stemmed from techniques taught within a knight family.

Knight families were renowned for their efficient training methods as they groomed knights through generations.

“The captain used to say that the foundation of all training is running.”

He enforced daily morning runs for the members to improve basic stamina and cardiovascular endurance.

Initially met with dissatisfaction, it didn’t take long for them to realize the captain’s methods were correct.

“Right now, what I need is stamina.”

While swordsmanship was essential, stamina was currently the priority.

With a weak physical state, exerting oneself excessively would be futile.

“After building up stamina, I’ll focus on swordsmanship.”

In his past life, Damien defeated numerous strong opponents, absorbing their skills and reaching new levels.

And with those as a foundation, he reached an unprecedented level in history.

Damien Haksen named this level ‘Divine Sword.’

“Someone might think I’m arrogant if they hear that.”

Still, he had no intention of changing the name.

Damien Haksen had earned the right to a name befitting the level he had reached.

The fact that he annihilated the formidable presence of Archlich with a single stroke was evidence enough.

However, at present, achieving the level of ‘Divine Sword’ was impossible.

“First, my stamina is too weak.”

The higher the level, the more strain it placed on the body during implementation.

With a body that got tired from just a few swings of a sword, he couldn’t manifest the Divine Sword.

“And I need to create a new swordsmanship too.”

In his previous life, Damien honed his swordsmanship based on his Death Knight physique.

Now, in his human body, the techniques he had developed back then were unusable.

To achieve the level of ‘Divine Sword’ once more, a new technique compatible with his human form had to be forged.

“If I develop a decent technique, I could use it, but… I can’t settle for something like that.”

He refused to settle for regaining only the power of his past life. He aimed to create an absolutely superior swordsmanship, surpassing his days as a Death Knight.

“And I’ll have to learn mana absorption techniques.”

Mana absorption involves absorbing external magical power and storing it within oneself.

To become a knight, mastering mana absorption was imperative.

“All the mana absorb techniques I know are based on dark magic.”

Dark mana and regular mana were fundamentally different forces. Hence, he needed to learn mana absorption techniques that used mana, not dark magic which involves the use of black mana.

“I learned some mana absorption techniques from the captain during my mercenary days, but they were very basic.”

His expulsion during his training prevented him from receiving extensive teachings despite being an apprentice knight.

“There’s so much to do, but not enough time.”

Besides securing his family’s happiness, Damien had one more goal: ‘Dorugo.’

Having returned to the past, Dorugo should still be alive.

Dorugo’s goal was to bring about the extinction of humanity and establish an empire for the deceased.

Without eliminating Dorugo, discussing his family’s happiness was impossible.

“I need to reach the level of ‘Divine Sword’ as soon as possible to kill that guy again.”

Dorugo had been preparing for centuries to bring about the downfall of humanity.

However, without Damien in this lifetime, the ultimate goal would remain unattainable. Yet, it was evident that he would cause harm in some way or another in this world.

“I can’t negotiate on peace without taking him down.”

Dorugo had mastered all forms of dark magic, particularly excelling in the creation of undead creatures.

The undead he crafted were not only formidable but possessed bizarre abilities and intellect. They could think like humans, learn, and even wield special powers.

Their threat surpassed imagination.

“Especially the three Great Demon Kings crafted by Dorugo were nothing short of disasters.”

Dorugo dared to give his creations the title of demon kings. However, considering their abilities, no one dared to say the name was exaggerated.

Each of the three Demon Kings wielded power equivalent to that of a nation.

“But they were still weaker than me back in my Death Knight days.”

During his time as a Death Knight, Damien was overwhelming, even against all three Demon Kings.

But that was a story from his Death Knight era. He couldn’t afford to be complacent now.

“Soon, Dorugo will reveal his hand.”

If Damien’s memories were correct, in a few years, the undead created by Dorugo would appear in the world.

They’d commence activities to gather resources necessary for war.

Sending the undead he created worldwide to collect various resources.

Even during his time as a mercenary, Damien had accepted missions to defeat the undead, leading to his encounter with Dorugo.

“I need to build the strength to kill Dorugo before that.”

His regression didn’t bring back emotions from the past.

Inside Damien, a burning hatred for Dorugo still lingered.

“I will kill him for sure.”

Thinking so, Damien quietly sharpened his blade.

Several days had passed since Damien started his training.

During this time, Damien had transformed astonishingly.

“Haa, haa.”

At first, he was so slow that it was hard to tell if he was walking or running.

But now, his running speed had increased remarkably.

“Haa, haa.”

His endurance had improved significantly, and he didn’t tire much even after running for over an hour.

It was proof of his dedicated focus on training, although the elixir played a significant role.

Without absorbing the elixir’s power, he wouldn’t have improved his stamina so rapidly in such a short time.

The early morning run lasted until breakfast time.

“I’m starting to enjoy running a bit now.”

Damien sat under a tree, catching his breath. He opened his canteen and drank some water.

“Ahh, refreshing.”

Though he’d run for over two hours, Damien’s training wasn’t over yet.

Today, he planned to add several more exercises to improve his stamina.

All of them were exercises directly learned from the mercenary commander.

“By the way, why is the Black Serpent so quiet?”

Since that day, the Black Serpent hadn’t caused any trouble.

“Any trouble brewing?”

Damien intended to thoroughly clean up the Black Serpent once he improved his stamina a bit.

Now that his elixirs were depleted, it was time for replenishment. He planned to visit the Landwalk City soon.

“We’ve rested enough; let’s get started.”

Damien rose to resume his training.

And it concluded around lunchtime.

As he made his way back to the mansion, he noticed several sophisticated-looking carriages parked in front.

“Where are these carriages from?”

At first glance, they didn’t seem like ordinary carriages for someone of average status.

It was when Damien went closer to check the insignia.

“Young Master! Young Master!”

With urgent cries, Victor rushed over to Damien.

Stopping in front of Damien, Victor was panting heavily.

“Sir, something terrible has happened! You need to come to the reception room right away!”

“What’s the matter?”

“…Marquise Ryan Bloom has sent someone!”

Ryan Bloom.

As soon as Damien heard those words, a foreboding feeling washed over him.

“No way, has the Heir of House of Bloom come?”

“H-How did you know? The Heir and his escort knights have arrived at our estate!”

Damn it.

Damien rubbed his forehead with his palm.

His head throbbed with pain.

“I had a feeling, but it seems I’ve already meddled with the Heir.”

One of the biggest incidents Damien caused in his past life might have already happened.

“Thanks for letting me know.”

After expressing his gratitude to Victor, Damien dashed towards the mansion.

He immediately opened the reception room door and entered.

First, he saw the faces of his family.

“Damien?”

His family exclaimed in surprise.

Before Damien could respond, he shifted his gaze.

“Oh, so you’re here?”

Sitting across the room from where the family was gathered was an unfamiliar face.

“Sorry for dropping by unannounced. But waiting any longer was just too hard.”

A mischievous face, a smaller build compared to Damien, yet incredibly muscular.

Even without needing to recall his name, Damien immediately remembered who this man was.

“Damien Haksen, so what’s your plan to pay for smacking my face?”

The Heir of House of Bloom, Edwin Ryan Bloom, asked Damien.

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