Chapter Thirty-Five: Entering the City

To recount the history of the Braso family's rise, one must look back several centuries. By that time, the four great kingdoms had evolved to the point where the social hierarchy was utterly rigid: nobles would always remain nobles, and commoners, no matter how many generations passed, were doomed to remain slaves.

The founder of the Braso line, Chahar Braso, was born into a family shrouded in darkness—noble lackeys in truth, performing deeds for the aristocracy that could not bear the light of day. Even in those years, when many nobles acted without scruples, there were still a few who preferred to hide behind a veil of propriety.

From a young age, Chahar Braso witnessed the opulence of the nobility and the misery of the common folk. It was then that he vowed to ascend to the exalted ranks of power.

But such an ambition was all but impossible. Without access to the most crucial path for social advancement—war—Chahar Braso’s dream of becoming a noble was a near impossibility. His family’s status alone barred the way; what noble would welcome a dog into their ranks as an equal?

Thus, there remained but one path to his goal: to seek fortune in unclaimed lands.

Yet to establish a settlement in the inhospitable wilds was a Herculean task. One also had to beware of others swooping in to claim the fruits of such labor once victory was in sight.

But Chahar Braso was no ordinary man. Drawing on years of faithful service to the nobility, he finally procured a charter to settle new lands. With steely resolve, he led a small band of loyal followers out of their comfort, into the unknown.

Ten, twenty, thirty years passed. In time, a town named Hekel rose on the eastern frontier of the Azurewater Kingdom. With this feat, Chahar Braso finally achieved his lifelong dream and entered the ranks of the nobility. Cunning and ruthless, he maneuvered between the neighboring houses, amassing ever more power and influence.

Before his death, he had even elevated his title to that of hereditary viscount.

His legendary story inspired generation after generation of young Braso scions. To this day, the Braso family has risen to the rank of counts, commanding vast territories in the kingdom’s east, with a voice that carries far beyond their holdings.

When Lando finally arrived in Hekel after traveling day and night, five days had passed.

What he saw along the way was even more tense than he had imagined. Practically from the moment he entered Braso lands, every city bore traces of military mobilization.

The Azurewater Kingdom was already in a weakened state, with the Flame Kingdom ever watchful and covetous nearby. Now, with the Braso family behaving in such a way—regardless of the truth—the Azurewater Kingdom could scarcely dare to make a move.

Despite the tense atmosphere, Lando had no intention of acting like a nervous commoner to avoid suspicion. When confronted by city guards whose eyes burned with suspicion and menace, he remained calm and unruffled.

Seeing Lando approach on foot, calm and alone, a few of the city guards grew angry, intent on teaching him a lesson. Just then, a stern voice rang out, halting their actions.

“Stand down! What do you think you’re doing?” A tall, powerfully built figure, clad head to toe in armor, strode toward them.

“Captain!”

“Captain Veko!”

“Sir!”

The guards greeted him with respect, clearly indicating his high status.

Veko approached, first casting a cold glance at the assembled guards before turning his gaze on Lando.

“Why have you come to Hekel?” Veko demanded in a cold voice.

“Tourism,” Lando replied with a smile.

Veko’s stern expression softened a little. “Hekel welcomes all friends, but things are a bit chaotic outside these days. Please don’t cause us any trouble.”

“All right, I won’t,” Lando answered cheerfully.

Veko said no more, waving for Lando to enter the city.

Once Lando had passed, Veko fixed the gate guards with a furious glare. “If your eyes are merely for show, go sell them to the mangy dogs—you might at least get something for them, instead of bringing us all trouble!”

The guards, cowed by Veko’s anger, dared not utter a word.

Ignoring the thunderous city captain behind him, Lando found himself somewhat troubled after entering the city. The Braso family’s defenses were surely tighter than ever; sneaking in would be no easy feat. Besides, he was seeking clues about vengeful spirits—knowledge ordinary Braso family members were unlikely to possess.

Lando could hardly ask around the city for information; that would be little different from shouting his intentions from the rooftops.

“Ah! It seems I’ll need to stage a ‘perfect assassination’ after all...”

...

At that moment, within the Braso family estate, Metaru stood dejected before a stern, imposing middle-aged man: Umut Braso, head of the family and Metaru’s father.

“Father, not only did I ruin things, I also exposed the family’s secret,” Metaru dared not meet his father’s eyes.

Umut Braso paid his son no heed, instead falling silent in thought.

After a long pause, while Metaru waited anxiously, Umut finally spoke. “From the moment you met the prince, recount every detail for me, without omission.”

Though Metaru did not understand why his father insisted on hearing the tale yet again, he dared not protest, and recounted every detail as best he could.

“I told you: unless you were certain you could eliminate all witnesses, you must never, even at the cost of your life, expose the necklace. How did you conduct yourself?” By the end, Umut’s tone was dangerously severe.

“Father, I don’t know why... At that moment, all I could think of was saving the prince. I just... I just...” Metaru was on the verge of tears.

Umut Braso, now calm, said, “Enough. I understand. You may go.”

Metaru, as if granted a pardon, bowed low and quickly withdrew.

Left alone, Umut Braso sighed deeply after a long silence. “Oh, Four Kings...”

...

Meanwhile, Lando was resting at an inn. Having found no better plan, he resolved to simply call on the Braso family directly the next day; if he discovered any ties to the undead, he would seize them all for questioning.

At the moment, he found himself puzzling over the quantity of his soul essence. He sensed that its natural rate of growth had increased slightly.

When the soul essence suddenly increased by one, Lando checked the time—it was indeed much faster than before. If previously it took twenty-four hours to gain one, now it took only twenty-three.

Lando scratched his head in puzzlement. He hadn’t paid much attention to this since his time at the Silver Tower Academy. Since coming to this world, he’d often found opportunities for extra gains, but never tracked the numbers closely. Thus, he couldn’t be certain whether the faster growth was due to an increase in his own strength, or the result of his new talent, “Shattered Fate (Violet).”

Of course, there might be other reasons, but these two seemed the most likely.