Monarch of Death

First, there’s Felmyre Kingdom, the most powerful due to its vast territory and large population.

Then, there’s Tarum Kingdom, a maritime nation that dominates the sea and waterways after pioneering the northern sea routes.

Altale Kingdom boasts the most powerful knight order, while Lifaul Kingdom serves as the breadbasket of the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

Both Yustil Kingdom and Atringen Kingdom, formerly part of the Empire, excel in the magic academia and are culturally and artistically advanced.

Compared to these nations, the Etrial Kingdom is undoubtedly the weakest.

Although called the “land of adventurers,” which might suggest a lively and intense atmosphere, in reality, it is simply overrun by transient vagabonds, lacking any true substance.

Still, there is a reason why the Etrial Kingdom has not been swallowed by other kingdoms and continues to stand firm.

It is thanks to the presence of the Strauss ducal house, the kingdom’s protector.

***

“Strauss… You mean that Strauss?”

“The family of the Martial King?”

Serati and Millia were astonished.

The Strauss Ducal House! Anyone across the continent would know the name of the ruler of the Delphiad region and the house of Martial King Gallard.

That is, unless they were an amnesiac girl.

“Do you know him?”

The girl with ash-gray hair tilted her head with an innocent expression.

Serati and Millia quickly stopped her, fearing that it might be rude.

‘Oh, Laficel!’

‘I’ll explain later!’

‘…?’

Laven smiled bitterly.

“Yes, Martial King Gallard is my father. I am, sadly, an unworthy descendant who is sullying the family name.”

He turned and suggested it to the group.

“We can’t just stand here talking on the street. Let’s move somewhere else.”

***

The Lacaenia Empire is mighty.

In all aspects—territory, population, power, and culture—it far surpasses the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

This superiority is evident in the presence of the strongest figures of the era.

Even now, two of the three Archmages belong to the Empire, and three of the Four Martial Kings are under the influence of the Empire.

Except for the Elven Archmage Giyen Ren of the Fairy race, most of humanity’s strongest belong to the Lacaenia Empire.

In contrast, the only powerhouse in the Seven Kingdoms Alliance is the Martial King of Delphiad, Gallard Strauss.

Thus, the Strauss Ducal Family is respected not just in the Etrial Kingdom but throughout the Seven Kingdoms Alliance.

It wasn’t just because of symbolic reasons.

The Strauss family possessed a tremendous ability, unmatched even by the renowned families of the Lacaenia Empire.

For over 200 years, they have consistently produced Martial Kings.

There’s a saying: the hardest thing in the world is raising children, and the second hardest is teaching students.

Yet, the Strauss family consistently raised their children and trained them into Martial Kings.

Honestly, it’s a remarkable achievement.

That’s why there’s another saying:

The Martial King of Delphiad might not be the strongest swordsman in the world, but the Strauss Ducal House is undoubtedly the world’s greatest sword family!

‘And that young man is the next Martial King?’

Serati marveled as she looked at the youth walking ahead.

Incredible.

He had completely concealed his strength.

Had Karnak not informed her in advance, she would have merely thought him a regular knight, unaware that he was the future Martial King.

[Just by looking at him, it’s hard to tell if he’s even awakened his aura. Is this what it takes to become the future Martial King?]

Serati was in awe of Laven’s talent.

[Actually, that’s what’s been bothering me… I’ve been observing closely.]

Baros wore a puzzled expression.

[It really seems like he hasn’t awakened his aura.]

[What?]

Baros, who had the keen insight of a Martial King, could not be fooled, no matter how much someone tried to conceal their strength. Laven, being barely 20, couldn’t deceive him.

It was certain.

He wasn’t hiding his power. There wasn’t any power to hide in the first place.

[This is strange. Why is he so weak? Is this really Sir Laven?]

Even Karnak was confused.

[Is he that weak?]

[Yes. He’d lose if he fought Laficel.]

[Isn’t it a bit much to compare him to Laficel?]

[Well…]

After a moment of thought, Baros made a comparison that Karnak could easily understand.

[Remember Randolph of Deventor?]

[Yeah.]

[He’s about that level.]

[Wow, he really is weak.]

Now Karnak understood, and he examined the young man walking ahead.

[He does look like Laven.]

Moreover, he couldn’t figure out why Laven was here.

[Shouldn’t he be in the middle of intense training as Gallard’s successor?]

[I don’t know. It’s not like I remember the exact timeline.]

It was possible.

The time period they remembered as Laven’s “youth” spanned over a decade.

[Now that I think about it, I seem to recall that Sir Laven’s aura awakening was quite late for a Martial King.]

Watching the two, Serati asked.

[In his past life, did he not join the King’s Order?]

Baros chuckled.

[Of course not. The King’s Order didn’t even exist back then.]

[Then something must have changed…]

While the three of them exchanged curious glances at Laven, Millia, unable to contain her curiosity any longer, openly asked a question.

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

“Yes? Sure.”

“How did you end up working in the King’s Order? Shouldn’t you be undergoing successor training in the Strauss family?”

Laven’s face showed a hint of weariness, as if tired of such questions.

“Oh, I think you’re confusing me with my older brother.”

But then he quickly managed his expression and answered politely.

“The one inheriting the Strauss name is my older brother, Emile. Not me.”

Hearing this, Baros’s expression subtly changed.

‘Right. Sir Laven wasn’t the heir to the Martial King from the start.’

***

The current Martial King of Delphiad, Gallard Strauss, had two sons.

The eldest was Emile Strauss, and the second, three years younger, was Laven Strauss.

From a young age, Emile was renowned as a prodigy.

No matter how difficult the sword technique, he learned it with ease, and he handled grueling training as if it were child’s play.

Even the stern Martial King Gallard refrained from nagging Emile much.

Laven, on the other hand, was ordinary.

It’s not that he lacked talent. As a member of the Strauss bloodline, he was undoubtedly gifted in martial arts.

Compared to most other knights, he would still be considered exceptional.

The problem was that Emile was a genius sent from the heavens.

Laven was certainly brilliant and talented, but unfortunately, the person he was compared to—his older brother—was simply too extraordinary.

Gallard, as well as the entire family, had already chosen Emile as the next Martial King of Delphiad.

As Laven grew older, being constantly compared to his older brother made him increasingly withdrawn.

The Strauss name became nothing but a heavy burden on his shoulders.

He only thought about becoming independent and living as an ordinary knight, far removed from his family.

The turning point came when Laven was 19 years old.

A disaster befell his brother, Emile.

A powerful necromancer appeared in Yustil Kingdom, causing chaos.

Emile, who was unusually righteous and deeply religious, pursued this vile necromancer to protect the people, but instead, he was ambushed and killed.

Emile was only 22 when he tragically perished.

Thus, Laven was suddenly plunged into the role of the heir to the Strauss family and the next Martial King.

***

[So…]

Halfway through the explanation, Serati fixed Karnak with a sharp gaze.

[You’re telling me he died at the hands of an evil necromancer?]

It was easy to guess who that necromancer might have been.

Baros chuckled.

[Who else could it be?]

[Is there any place where you didn’t cause trouble?]

[That’s why we were constantly being chased. It’s no wonder the young master became a public enemy of all humanity.]

***

After that, Laven was forced to walk the path of a successor, reluctantly.

With his older brother gone, he had no choice but to dedicate himself to the sword training he hadn’t cared much for, and he had to endure direct instruction from his father, whom he had always feared.

Gallard was relentless in pushing him.

The Strauss family had produced Martial Kings for generations. He couldn’t allow the family’s centuries-old legacy to be tarnished during his time.

Thankfully, Laven’s talents finally blossomed, albeit belatedly.

He had merely been overshadowed by Emile until now; Laven, too, was a prodigy of the Strauss bloodline.

Once he began to stand out, his growth was rapid, and he eventually succeeded Gallard to become the next Martial King of Delphiad.

[After that, well, he chased the young master day and night, seeking vengeance for his older brother.]

[Man, that was exhausting.]

Karnak grumbled as he recalled the past.

[If you think about it, he became Martial King because of me, yet he was so fixated on revenge.]

Serati, utterly dumbfounded, remarked.

[Wow, what a trashy thing to say.]

[That was?]

[Yes.]

[Then I’ll avoid saying things like that from now on.]

Karnak mentally added another line to his list titled, “Things to Avoid Saying When Trying to Live Like a Decent Human Being.”

From his experiences, he had learned that waiting to fully understand before taking action often meant being too late.

There were too many things in the world to be cautious about, so he figured he should act first, understand later.

It was part of his effort to live like a decent human being.

That’s why he had asked Serati to point out his mistakes immediately.

…Though, it was starting to feel like she was treating him more and more roughly because of it.

In any case, thinking back on the past, he roughly understood the situation.

[Emile is still alive now, right? Since I didn’t kill him.]

[Sir Laven wouldn’t have had the chance to change either.]

[So he stayed independent and became a member of Etrial’s King’s Order?]

[It wouldn’t tarnish the family’s name to join the King’s Order.]

The King’s Order was a prestigious organization made up of elite members, admired by many.

It was just that the Strauss family name was so renowned that it overshadowed the King’s Order somewhat.

[Gallard must have agreed to it willingly.]

Baros gazed at Laven’s back with a distant look.

‘Sir Laven not as the Martial King…’

Among the four Martial Kings, Laven Strauss was the one Baros clashed with most frequently.

Naturally, since Karnak had been responsible for killing his older brother, Laven had plenty of reasons to fight him.

They had fought to the death 23 times, with Boras winning six times and Laven winning 17. Baros had been killed nine times.

Yet, despite all this, Baros didn’t harbor any ill will towards him. In fact, he even respected him.

Laven was, in Baros’s mind, the closest to the ideal image of a knight.

‘Honestly, why would I hate him? We’re the ones who committed all the wrongs. It’s only natural that he despises us.’

Baros had been the most regretful when Laven became a Death Knight and was changed forever.

Now, with Emile still alive, Laven would never become the Martial King again.

He would likely live quietly as an ordinary knight, a member of the King’s Order.

‘The Martial King of Delphiad I knew no longer exists…’