Lord of Caldera - Chapter 247

Chapter 247: Chapter 247

“Ah, I see what you mean,” Halcan nodded, catching on. He’d had similar requests before—force an opponent into a duel, and if they tried to back out or call for help, the entire mercenary band would be there to prevent it. Whether the target won or lost, the goal was to tarnish their reputation and expose their weakness.

“That’s our specialty. Leave it to us.”

“Good. I’ll count on you, then.”

“‘Count on you’—that’s a title I haven’t heard in a while. I’ll be sure to make extra effort,” Halcan replied, his smile turning sinister. Besides the money, he found this type of job personally satisfying.

After hiring the Blood Wolves, Dani moved quickly. A letter had already arrived announcing Sylas’s return, so determining his route was easy.

“Luck is on my side,” Dani thought. His father had graciously agreed to let him skip the welcome celebration for Sylas.

Father, may I take a ride around the estate? I feel a bit restless.

Go ahead.

The Count was well aware of the strained relationship between Sylas and Dani, so he assumed Dani’s absence was due to personal disdain. This granted Dani the perfect opportunity.

“Alright, let’s wait here until he arrives,” Dani said.

“This path is rather isolated,” one of Halcan’s men observed.

“The road is narrow,” Dani explained. “It’s ideal for travelers on foot but unsuitable for merchant wagons or carriages.”

It was indeed a perfect ambush spot. Here, no one would report back to the family until everything was over.

“Time for you to pay the price for your undeserved fame,” Dani muttered, a smirk curling at his lips. Even if his father rebuked him later, the humiliation Sylas would endure was worth it. Imagine—a so-called dragonslayer beaten by mere mercenaries. It would be the ultimate disgrace.

Lost in these thoughts, Dani spotted Sylas and his party approaching in the distance.

“They’re here!”

“Finally! I was getting tired of waiting. I wonder what this ‘hero’ looks like…” Halcan sneered, but as Sylas drew closer, the smirk on his face faded. With each step Sylas took, Halcan’s expression grew paler, and beads of sweat began to form on his brow.

As they closed the distance, Halcan’s voice came out as a choked whisper. “S-sorry… We’re calling off the job.”

“What!? What are you saying?” Dani demanded.

“We’ll pay the full penalty fee, double if necessary. Just… let us withdraw,” Halcan stammered, his voice trembling.

“Captain, have you lost your mind? Do you realize how much that money is—double the amount?” one of his men argued.

“Shut up! You idiots have no idea what you’re looking at!” Halcan’s bellow silenced everyone, including Dani, who instinctively took a step back.

“If you have any sense, you’d realize it just by looking at him! That’s no ordinary man—that’s a monster! We should run before we all die!”

“Brother! What a grand reception you’ve prepared!” Sylas’s voice called out from behind them, filled with a cheerfulness that was utterly terrifying to Halcan. A choked noise escaped his mouth, and Dani, hearing it, couldn’t help but think that the mercenary leader sounded like a wolf facing down a dragon, paralyzed with terror.

…

The blood of the wolf runs through the Rugos family, Halcan’s father had told him just before his coming-of-age ceremony. Halcan had scoffed at the claim initially, something any child would brush off as a tall tale. But his father had been dead serious.

“Haven’t you ever wondered why your strength seems… excessive? The boundless stamina? Or how you have a sense of smell keener than others?”

That last part had silenced Halcan. He knew his sense of smell was unusually acute. Powerful stenches could make him faint if he wasn’t careful. Only after spending time around others had he realized that his heightened senses weren’t normal.

“It’s all in the bloodline,” his father continued. “They say our ancestors were wolves who once ruled as divine beasts.”

“Is that true?”

“Who knows?” His father had shrugged. “But judging by the power we possess, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched.”

The Rugos family was of ancient lineage, descended from something primal, though their blood had diluted over generations. About two centuries prior, they had fallen from power due to a noble’s grudge, but the strength in their veins had ensured their survival.

“I’m telling you this because you’ll likely never meet anyone who can match you in strength. Unless you do something stupid, you should always win.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“But remember this,” his father’s voice grew firm, “We aren’t the only family with ancient blood. Some families have it far thicker than ours.”

His father had rubbed his leg as he spoke, the one that had once been shattered. The injury had fully healed, allowing him to fight, but it still ached when it rained—a reminder of a long-ago battle.

“For example, the Baston family in the south carries the blood of giants. I fought the head of their family in my youth.”

“Did you win?”

“Lost. The bastard beat me senseless and left me for dead. He even broke my leg before he left,” his father admitted with a wry smile.

“What? Have they no honor? How could they leave you in such shame?”

“It wasn’t a battlefield encounter. I… had a slight run-in with a noblewoman. Turned out she was his wife.”

Halcan had swallowed his comment, feeling it was a lesson in humility his father deserved. Seeing his expression, his father had given a self-deprecating smile.

“Do you understand why I’m telling you this?”

“To help me understand our family’s origins?”

“If that were all, I wouldn’t share my embarrassments.”

His father’s expression had grown more serious than Halcan had ever seen it.

“When you wield a sword long enough, there will come a day when you start to think, ‘Am I not incredibly strong? I could take on anyone one-on-one.’ But that’s an illusion.”

He had told Halcan that there were others with ancient blood, whose abilities could rival those of the heroes of legend. Compared to them, Halcan, despite his abilities, would still be little more than a strong soldier.

“So, be cautious. If you let arrogance get the best of you, you’ll die young. I only survived because I was lucky.”

“But how am I supposed to tell who these people are?”

“Trust me, you’ll know. That’s the instinct of a wolf.”