**Chapter 120**
—
Leon, who was chasing the monkey, let out a cry of astonishment.
It was because of the mysterious staff that Arthur had given him.
The power contained within that staff was no ordinary thing.
“This thing… it’s the real deal?”
It was no exaggeration to say that a high-ranking fire spirit resided within it.
The flames unleashed from the staff burned the Dormund soldiers they met along the way with ridiculous ease.
Leon couldn’t hide his admiration at the sight. But then, a sudden question struck him.
“…But where on earth did he even pick up a staff like this?”
To possess such a staff meant the wielder must have been a great sorcerer.
Where had Arthur Bayern encountered such a dangerous magician?
Leon’s brows furrowed faintly as this thought crossed his mind.
Then, a sharp pain shot through his eyes.
Leon instantly forgot all his wandering thoughts and muttered to himself.
“…Finally found you, you damned monkey! Hiding somewhere around here, are you.”
With those words, Leon leapt onto a nearby hut.
Just then, a rift opened in midair, and a man with slit-like eyes appeared.
Marshal Dust—Leon Madrid’s hand and foot—landed and kneeled before him.
\[Your Highness, I shall serve at your side.]
Leon nodded at Marshal’s sign language.
“Good timing, Marshal. Let’s go together.”
With Marshal now at his side, Leon darted across rooftops, heading for the spire in the center of the village.
‘The pain in my eyes is growing stronger. That monkey must be inside that spire.’
Leon stealthily suppressed his presence and leaned against the spire’s wall.
On the opposite side, Marshal silently drew his dagger.
Leon gave a slight nod, then carefully pushed open the closed door.
After exchanging a glance as signal, Leon and Marshal kicked the half-opened door wide and stormed in.
“Don’t move, monkey! I know you’re—huh?”
Leon tilted his head.
“What’s this? Why is no one here?”
The inside of the spire was empty.
All that lay around were heaps of junk, layered thick with dust.
Leon narrowed his eyes and murmured.
‘But the pain in my eyes tells me the monkey’s definitely here.’
He was tracking the monkey’s blood with his imperial bloodline’s ability—there could be no mistake.
No sorcerer could hide blood itself.
Thus Leon lingered, unable to easily leave, pacing with uncertainty.
At that moment, Marshal on the other side began signing again.
\[Your Highness, it’s here.]
Leon’s eyes widened, then narrowed.
‘Some kind of invisibility magic, then?’
\[Seems that way. Shall I deal with it?]
‘No need to drag this out. Subdue it in one strike.’
Without replying, Marshal moved forward.
From among the piles of junk, he suddenly thrust his dagger toward a relatively clean-looking monkey doll.
“Kiieeek!”
The monkey doll shrieked hideously.
Marshal did not stop, raising his dagger for another stab.
But the monkey doll exploded first.
Boom!
A violent blast roared as acrid smoke filled the air.
Startled, Leon stumbled back, and Marshal, losing grip of his dagger, rolled across the floor.
Kukuku—!
Amid the choking smoke, a massive shadow emerged.
Leon, watching, muttered in alarm.
“What… what the hell is that?”
The shadow hidden in the smoke broke through the spire itself.
Crash!
Leon and Marshal hastily escaped as the collapsing spire crumbled behind them.
“Kroooarrr!”
What had demolished the spire was a monstrous beast resembling a monkey.
Leon found his mouth hanging open.
‘…That’s the monkey?’
Its sheer size rivaled giants from myth, no less imposing in any way.
As Leon stared, mouth agape, the monkey opened its mouth.
\[…So that’s how it was.]
“…?”
\[I knew something was strange. No matter how fanatical the Black Cross cultists are, they’d never dare touch Dormund’s army.]
Leon blinked at the beast’s words.
“…Monkey? What are you talking about?”
\[Don’t play dumb, you despicable wretch.]
“…?”
\[You think you can cover up attacking the Dormund army, and now even trying to kill me, a black magician?]
Leon’s jaw dropped further at the accusation.
“I… attacked Dormund’s army…?”
\[That’s right! That staff in your hand!]
“…!”
\[That staff belonged to one of my family’s sorcerers stationed in the rear battalion! And you dare show up before me wielding it!?]
The monkey’s furious roar left Leon reeling.
‘T-this staff was Dormund’s all along!?’
Meanwhile, the beast clenched its massive fist and declared:
\[You, at least… I will kill. You hypocrite!]
Leon shivered at the chilling pronouncement.
‘Ah, Arthur Bayern, you bastard!’
Even if I failed to catch the monkey, how could you hand me Dormund’s staff like this!?
Leon screamed.
“…Uaaaahhh!”
The beastly monkey began to rampage.
—
—
Ian felt a chill crawl up his spine.
‘Dangerous.’
The Arthur Bayern standing before him was dangerous.
How dangerous? He couldn’t answer.
His very existence was simply dangerous.
Irrational. Unstable.
Unpredictable, brimming with madness.
Ian’s survival instincts screamed within him.
At the same time, doubts arose.
‘How was Arthur Bayern still sane when he took Bill’s eye?’
Hadn’t he been poisoned at the time?
Ian furrowed his brows.
‘It makes no sense. How could something like that…’
Just then, a memory flickered through his mind.
Cain Dormund and Khan Madrid—his father and his sworn lord—had once exchanged words.
Recalling that memory, Ian’s eyes widened.
‘…….’
After a brief silence, Ian let out a hollow laugh.
‘…So that’s how it was.’
Light flashed in his eyes as he batted away Arthur’s sword piercing his shoulder.
Arthur’s eyes flew wide.
The upward swing tore Ian’s shoulder nearly in half, flesh hanging ragged.
But Ian himself showed little reaction.
The reason became immediately clear.
Shhhk—!
Ian poured a vial of top-grade potion over his shoulder.
In an instant, the wound sealed shut as if it had never been.
Arthur gasped.
“Oh… How many of those do you have?”
Ian gave no reply.
Instead, he raised his sword, putting distance between them.
As Arthur tilted his head at the change in Ian’s demeanor, Ian twisted his lips.
“Arthur Bayern. As far as I know, you are no sorcerer.”
Arthur blinked, then nodded.
“That’s right. I’m not a sorcerer.”
“If you’re not, the only way to wield lightning is by bloodline. Isn’t that so?”
“…Hm. True. Unless it’s an artifact?”
Ian scoffed.
“So the rumors were true. That Bayern hides a bloodline.”
Arthur’s eyes glinted.
“How did you know? That Bayern has a hidden bloodline?”
“I heard it long ago. The tale of your cursed house.”
Arthur tilted his head.
‘Cursed? Since when was Bayern cursed?’
Just because he was unusual didn’t mean the others weren’t normal.
Then Ian said something Arthur never expected.
“All bloodlines can be used from birth. That’s why they’re called bloodlines.”
“…?”
“But Bayern’s is different. While most are innate, Bayern’s is acquired.”
Arthur’s eyes widened.
“Oh… so Bayern’s bloodline awakens later?”
“Simply put, yes. Through extreme trauma, unbearable mental anguish, pain so searing the brain feels aflame. That is how the Bayern bloodline awakens.”
Arthur let out a cry of wonder.
‘Huh… That sounds right.’
In his past life, he had indeed awakened Bayern’s bloodline just like that—
The moment he heard of his family’s annihilation.
Tilting his head, Arthur asked:
“But what does that matter now?”
Ian laughed.
“It matters. Why do you think my father fixated on Bayern all this time?”
“…?”
“Why did he relentlessly target and torment Bayern? Don’t you want to know the reason?”
Arthur’s eyes grew wide.
At that moment, Ian turned his body.
“…!”
Yenika, locked in battle with the Dormund knights, froze.
Ian was sprinting toward the Grail.
‘What is he doing?’
Whatever his intent, it could not be good.
Just as Yenika prepared to move, Ian snatched the Grail.
Gazing at the crimson blood within, he murmured:
‘Father forbade me from ever using this power…’
His eyes gleamed.
‘But now there’s no choice. \[Project L]. I’ll borrow that experiment’s power.’
Yenika shouted harshly:
“What are you doing to the Grail—!”
Ignoring her, Ian chanted:
“\[mal’āk]”
Light burst forth from his body.
Yenika’s eyes shot open wide.
“What? Why is the Grail responding?”
The Grail, which had never reacted to anyone but vampires, was shining.
As she reeled in shock, the Grail split in two and shattered.
Crash!
A violent storm erupted where Ian stood.
Arthur, dazed for a moment, squinted.
“Huh, now what’s this?”
Then his mouth curved in awe.
“Oh…”
Bathed in moonlight, a being screeched.
\[Kii-ki-ki-ki! Kiririk!]
Just looking at it sent chills crawling down the spine.
It was a hideous monster.
—
—
Ian’s words left Arthur in troubling thought despite himself.
‘So Cain Dormund tormented Bayern to awaken their bloodline?’
Truth or lie, it was a staggering claim.
And worse, judging by how things unfolded, Ian’s explanation almost made sense.
Even Arthur, who knew the future, had never understood why Cain Dormund so obsessively hounded Bayern into destruction.
But if what Ian said was true, it fit neatly.
‘Dormund always obsessed over bloodlines. Then, tormenting Bayern… was to seize theirs?’
Arthur’s lips curled.
Whether the guess was right or wrong, there was now one more truth he needed to drag from Ian.
‘Good. I had plenty to hear from him anyway.’
As he looked up from his thoughts, a monster stood at the altar.
“Huh? What’s that?”
It had fangs like a vampire, black fur covering its whole body, and even a spear-like tail.
‘Wait… don’t tell me that’s Ian?’
As the thought struck him, the monster shrieked.
In an instant, the Dormund knights fighting Yenika clutched their noses and collapsed.
“Kugh!”
“My… strength…”
Their breaths ceased.
Arthur’s jaw dropped.
“What? Knights dying that easily?”
Above their corpses, something seeped out—
Their very souls.
The monster greedily devoured them.
Arthur muttered, dumbfounded.
“Wow… what kind of monster does that?”
Yenika, collapsing to the ground, murmured:
“No… It can’t be. How is the power of my clan… in Dormund’s hands….”
Her words trailed off as the monster turned toward her.
She trembled under its gaze.
\[Kiki, kikek!]
The monster laughed hideously and lunged at her.
After some thought, Arthur pulled the Beast’s trigger.
Bang—!
The bullet drilled clean through its skull.
But the wound closed instantly.
Blood itself flowed and stitched the flesh shut.
\[Kii-kikik!]
The monster turned its eyes toward Arthur.
He asked, half in disbelief:
“Hey, uh, monster? You really Ian?”
The monster laughed.
\[Kiki-kikik, kikikik!]
Whether laugh or cry, none could tell.
Arthur shrugged, raising both Beast and his demonic sword.
But just as he was about to charge, his nose burst with blood.
“Oh…?”
Losing his balance, he collapsed.
Wiping the streaming blood, he muttered:
“Wow… what is this? Magic? Bloodline?”
He tried to rise, but his body refused.
Dizziness, nausea, his stomach twisting.
All without any spell cast on him.
The monster laughed again.
\[Kiki-kikik!]
Arthur muttered, wiping more blood.
‘Is that… its ability?’
His vision spun. Vomit rose. His whole body sickened.
Just staring at it had done this.
Of course, he couldn’t just sit and marvel.
\[Kiki-kikik!]
Grinning grotesquely, the monster crept closer.
Arthur knew he could not let himself be taken down by this—not Ian, but this thing.
‘Even if I force myself to move, could I even take it down?’
He shook his head.
A monster that did this much by sight alone… simply moving wouldn’t be enough.
‘I need another way… Hmm….’
As he gripped his sword, matching the monster’s approach, Yenika came into his view behind it.
“Oh?”
Unlike him, bleeding nose and all, Yenika was fine.
Vacant, yes, but seemingly immune to its power.
Arthur’s lips curled slowly.
“Hm… right. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
And bloodline against bloodline.
Licking his dry lips, Arthur thought:
‘Yenika’s blood… was delicious, wasn’t it?’
—
