Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Childhood
A warrior from another world.
A hero of Earth who defeated the Demon King Balor and saved the continent from the threat of the Demons.
However, the people of this world had a different nickname for Hansung.
The Imperial Hound. A ruthless butcher.
It was no coincidence that Hansung was suddenly summoned to the other world one day.
The ancient summoning ritual that the imperial magicians had painstakingly prepared was activated, and Hansung, the SSS-class monster hunter on Earth and the commander-in-chief of the human suicide squad, opened his eyes in another world.
As a tool to achieve the empire's ambitions, Hansung was reborn as a human weapon called Yongsa[1].
The empire that defeated the Demon King declared a war to unify the continent, with the 'Heroes of the Other World' at the forefront.
* * *
He adjusted the handle of the sword in his hand and quietly raised his head.
As the war to unify the Empire's continent drew to a close, the capital city of Malbork, the Teutonic Knights' Nation, declared its resistance until the very end.
Pale sleet fluttered across the night curtain.
A dark and white winter night. It was right after defeating the divine sword 'Sir Bardel,' a loyal subject of the Teutonia Knights and a man who had earned the title of 'Greatest Sword of the Continent.'
Phew!
A searing pain struck from behind. It felt like cold iron. The blade that had pierced my chest and protruded was glowing with a cold frost.
"Oh, shit."
After a bloody battle risking one's life, what returned to Hansung was the sword of the same imperial army.
"Thank you for your hard work, warrior of the other world."
Durandal, the holy sword of the Count of Brandenburg.
"I knew this would happen."
Hansung's body was too tired to avoid the surprise attack of his allies swinging right behind him.
"Those pathetic little bastards who only know how to hit the back of someone's head."
At one time, he succeeded in subduing the Demon King in the name of the hero.
But that was only the beginning. After that, it was to become nothing more than a machine of conquest to satisfy the empire's ambitions.
The Demon King has been defeated, and the Empire has achieved its long-cherished goal of unifying the continent. So what's next?
It's a sand pit.
"You will be remembered as someone who died an honorable death after winning the battle against the sword master Badel.[2]"
The Count of Brandenburg opened his mouth.
An honorable fellow noble? I couldn't even laugh in vain.
"Your patriotism and devotion to the Empire will be praised by future generations for eternity."
"Ha, even the Ministry of National Defense of the Republic of Korea will also cry at this."
Hansung sneered with blood on his lips. The blade in his hand radiated a sharp air as if it would slaughter the Count at any moment.
But the moment he was about to swing the sword, Hansung's body suddenly stopped.
It was forbidden.
The binding oath that the White Tower boasts of… Geas.
"Those fucking dogs."
A leash for training the Imperial warriors and otherworldly hunting dogs.
"Who is calling whom a dog?"
The count let out a cold mockery as he looked at the sight.
"Yeah, you guys are worse than dogs."
Hansung started swearing again.
He will die here along with the greatest swordsman on the continent whom he just defeated with his own hands.
Because the long hunt is over.
The commander-in-chief of the Imperial 1st Army Corps here, Count Brandenburg, was the very person responsible for executing the Tosagupen[3].
Hansung quietly knelt down. He lowered his head to the snow-covered floor and closed his eyes weakly. However, strangely enough, Hansung's expression was calm and serene.
Without even uttering the usual curse towards the empire that had abandoned him.
The 'Warrior of the Other World' closed his eyes like that.
I vowed that in my next life, I would not be a warrior who would be thrown away like an old pair of shoes, but a demon king without blood or tears.
Soon, as one spark of life died down, the small stone swallowed within Hansung's body began to emit a faint light.
And──.
"Congratulations, Your Highness the Duke! You have a son!"
A dark, white winter night with pure white snowflakes fluttering.
One life closed its eyes, and a new life opened its eyes.
* * *
"Congratulations, Your Highness the Duke! You have a son!"
The old woman's clear voice rang in his ears. The pain from the Holy Sword Durandal that had been tormenting Hansung until just before disappeared as if it were a lie.
'Where is this…?'
Hansung quickly looked around to assess the situation, but it was extremely difficult to control his body.
All around him was a pure white light, so he couldn't even open his eyes properly. His consciousness felt heavy as if a lump of lead had been placed on it.
The feeling of being incredibly small and light.
Just then, the soft sensation of a blanket enveloped Hansung.
Hansung barely managed to twist his body in the blanket and stared at the woman holding him. She was a young woman with bright blond hair.
It was a face he vaguely remembered. As a warrior of another world, Hansung knew quite a few influential people in the empire.
'I clearly remember her as the daughter of a certain count's family…'
"You've really worked hard, Elena."
'Elena, the daughter of the count's family who became the wife of the Duke of Jackson!'
Elena. As soon as he heard that name, Hansung was struck with shock as if he had been hit in the head with a hammer.
Then, could it be that the man looking down at them with affectionate eyes is…?
A grand lord who ruled over the northern region and the former Demon King's Territory, which had been reduced to a province of the Empire, shortly after Hansung defeated the Demon King Balor.
He is the Duke of Jackson, a member of the third major ducal family at the top of the empire.
Only then did I feel the exhilaration of the puzzle pieces finally falling into place.
'My previous life was a success!'
A desperate measure to cut the leash of a hunting dog. The artifact that Hansung had painstakingly obtained, the 'Stone of Past Life,' had successfully performed its function.
He is also the eldest son of one of the most noble families in the empire.
But that was not all that the Duke of Jackson was capable of.
The one who reigns at the top of the black magic tower in Necropolis, known as the headquarters of black magic.
Black Tower.
In other words, the Duke of Jackson was a necromancer and black magician who was unrivaled on the entire continent.
That is why the nickname he got was 'Lord Black.'
The fact that the Duke of Jackson was granted the old Demon Territory as a fief is also not unrelated to his career.
The 'Stone of Past Life' allows the soul to circulate while preserving memories and consciousness. However, it is not possible to directly designate the target of the past life. In other words, whether one is born as the eldest son of a great noble family or is abandoned in the gutter as the child of a prostitute is entirely up to fate.
And yet, I put the best spoon imaginable in my mouth.
'As you live, you end up asking questions about being born with a silver spoon in your mouth.'
As Hansung was calmly assessing the situation, the Duke of Jackson opened his mouth as if he was worried.
"Grandma, the child is crying."
Even the world's most renowned black Duke seems helpless when it comes to worrying about his children.
"How strange. You are breathing so clearly."
"Isn't it a bad omen if a child doesn't cry?"
"Your breathing is stable, so you don't have to worry about that."
The old woman approached Hansung. Hansung continued to breathe deeply as if he was trying to show off.
"But His Majesty the Duke is worried…"
Match!
The old woman who had received Hansung from Elena began to spank his butt with all her might.
"You have to spank him until he cries."
Hansung flailed his body, cursing inwardly. However, his imperfect infant body did not have many options.
"What a stubborn kid!"
The Duke of Jackson muttered in surprise.
"It must be just like your stubbornness."
Elena opened her mouth with a motherly smile.
"Give it to me. I'll try."
The gentle hands of the noble young lady, who has become a mother but still appears to have not shed her virginity, reached out to slap Hansung's buttocks.
Hansung, who had never shed a single tear since he was a child, had no choice but to burst into tears.
* * *
Dale of Jackson.
As the saying goes, new wine should be put into new wineskins, and that was the new name for Hansung, who had been given a second life.
Dale, the eldest son of the Duke of Jackson.
Under the ducal couple's loving care, 'Dale' waited for his time, occasionally eavesdropping on the imperial situation exchanged between the couple, their servants, and their vassals.
No matter how complete the consciousness inherited through the artifact was, the infant's body was not like that.
It was a very painful time of suffering. And after a time of suffering, the first thing Dale was allowed was language.
"Oh my god, look at our Dale!"
Elena, like most mothers, was always talking about her child being a genius. And Elena's claim that her child was a genius was not a common delusion that only mothers have.
Dale's enthusiasm for learning was astounding, as he could speak the Imperial and Noble languages fluently at
the age of four.
Dale began to lock himself in the duke's library and read books day and night.
『Basics and Applications of Mana Sensing』
『Imperial Army Tactical Magic Manual』
『Relationship between the rotation rate of the mana circle and the amount of magic power generated』
『Understanding Magic Enhancement by Formula』
『Introduction to Rune Magic』
Every day, the books he wanted were airlifted from all over the continent, including the Zodiac.
'It's good to be born with a silver spoon in your mouth.'
After finishing a book, Dale leaned back against the old bookshelf and thought about his old hometown.
When he awakened his talent as a monster hunter on Earth and took up arms, he fought monsters in his previous life with a mission. Only for humanity. But in this world, it was not like that.
All the demons and monsters that I have defeated in the name of a warrior are nothing compared to the number of 'humans' that I have slaughtered as the hunting dogs of the empire.
That's why Dale's purpose never wavered.
'With these hands I will bring down the empire.'
He bit his lips softly and strengthened his resolve.
It was just then.
Phew!
As the cold, bitter hatred raged, a whirlwind of wind sprang up at his feet. It was a whirlwind of magical power.
'Oops!'
The still immature body of a four-year-old was driven by a torrent of emotions and caused the mana in his body to run wild. Although he had not yet informed the Duke and Duchess, Dale was steadily forming a piece of a 'mana circle' in his heart.
Phew!
As the rampage of mana swirled like a whirlpool, the bookshelves Dale had been supporting began to fall like dominoes.
"You made a good decision."
He sat down helplessly in the library, which had become a complete mess.
"──Dale."
He felt a familiar presence behind him.
"What's all this fuss about?"
It was the voice of Dale's father, the Black Duke, the Duke of Jackson.
A chaotic scene where books and bookshelves were scattered everywhere due to the vortex of rampant mana. Dale pondered for a moment what a four-year-old's behavior would be like, but soon gave up on thinking about it. A four-year-old wouldn't think about behavior like that.
"Did you just release the mana inside your body?"
"That's… I don't know. Suddenly a strange wind blew under my feet…"
Dale naturally brushed it off, like a naive child who was unaware of his own talents.
The Duke of Jackson exclaimed in surprise at the sight.
"You've already formed a piece of a mana circle within your body…!"
Dale felt a little astonished at the exclamation that was almost shocking.
There are cases where a child naturally connects with mana at a young age. However, even if he is a blood relative of a wizard, it is too early for a four-year-old child. That is why he kept it a secret from the duke and duchess and waited for the right time.
Dale understood the dangers of his talent. And the difference between a 'prodigy' and a 'monster' was only a sheet of paper.
"As expected, he is my son."
However, what answered Dale's worries was the smile of the Black Duke that did not hide his father's feelings.
"It is a regret of mine that I cannot teach you the art of necromancy."
The Black Duke continued speaking with a regretful tone. It was something even Dale had not expected.
The Black Magic Tower Master, the continent's greatest necromancer, wouldn't pass on his expertise to his children?
"Why?"
Dale asked again, his expression sharp.
"I promised your mother that my children would not continue my legacy."
The expression on the Black Duke's face as he spoke was filled with great regret.
'Well, which mother would want her child to become a shaman?'
This was a promise he made to Elena, who was not much older than him, when he was courting her, out of fear of the Black Knight's notoriety.
In addition, there is a ridiculous story that at the wedding, all the elders of the Black Tower, including the Black Duke, attended in pure white attire.
No matter what, the Duke of Jackson is the greatest noble of the empire. Nevertheless, the promises he made to a mere countess showed how innocent the Black Duke was, contrary to his appearance.
Four years is not a short period of time. It is even more so when you are confined to the body of an infant and are cared for by your family.
So life in the Jackson ducal household made Dale realize feelings he had long forgotten.
T/L Note:
1. Yongsa quite literally means warrior, but stuck with it cuz sounded cool
2. Originally, Donggwijin was used here. but this did not make sense as that quite literally means dying together with the other person, i.e. Badel. so changed it to make sense with context
3. killing the dog after hunting
An expression used to indicate the situation of using something when necessary and throwing it away unsympathetically when not, from its literal meaning of "After a rabbit hunt is over, the now-useless hunting dog is boiled and eaten." In this case, it is referring to our MC, Hansung
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