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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 28
Chapter Title: Uninvited Guests
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The White-Masked Young Master.
A rising star who passed the suitor's contest and received an entire estate.
From the moment he appeared, he was the talk of the grotesque city, a talent among talents.
Especially since the rumor of his origins in the Baekdaesega was treated as an established fact.
…That is, until the strange rumors about him began to circulate.
"The White-Masked Young Master might be a fraud?"
"Exactly. If he's really from the Baekdaesega, why hide his identity? Why hide his face with a mask?"
Of course, not many believed the rumor.
Impersonating a scion of the Baekdaesega was suicide, not just for a commoner, but even for a noble.
This was especially true since he'd received an estate from the Lord of Nakrang Castle and the Calamity Princess, whose power had been growing fearsomely.
"Come on, the higher-ups must have their reasons. Are the Lord of Nakrang Castle and the Calamity Princess the types to be easily fooled?"
"That's not all! I heard this from a reliable source…"
But as the days passed, the rumors, far from dying down, only grew more elaborate.
That there wasn't a single soldier on his estate.
That a vast fortune was hidden there.
That it was finder's keepers for whoever plundered it first.
As the rumors became more specific, bandits blinded by greed began to lick their lips.
Still, those with a shred of reason hesitated.
If the White-Masked Young Master was truly of the Baekdaesega bloodline, he was someone they absolutely could not touch.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes, well, we're all ready, but..."
The second-in-command of the Dragon Bandits crept toward Waryong Manor.
That was why Kag, a goblin known for his caution, couldn't help but wear a reluctant expression.
"But boss, are you sure about this?"
"About what?"
"The rumor that the White-Masked Young Master is from the Baekdaesega. If that's true…"
"Hmph, you believe that nonsense too?"
"Well, there's no smoke without fire, right?"
"Nonsense!"
Reiker, the hulking Lizardman leader of the Dragon Bandits, dismissed Kag's concerns with a single word.
He flicked his long tongue and continued.
"Think about it. If he were really from the Baekdaesega, he wouldn't be staying in a small-time estate like this."
"Well, he could've been pushed out in a power struggle among the nobles."
"Then he would have already been betrothed to the Calamity Princess."
"True, that makes sense."
"Just you watch. That White-Masked Young Master punk must have used some trick to pass the contest."
At Reiker's point, Kag had no choice but to agree.
After all, Reiker, true to his Lizardman nature, was cold and calculating when choosing his prey.
Likewise, the other bandits, their spirits buoyed by the conversation, stealthily approached Waryong Manor.
There were about twenty of them in total.
A ridiculously small number to raid an entire estate, but they didn't hesitate.
According to the intel they'd gathered, the estate was home only to weak villagers and cheap slaves.
Of course, they would be in danger if surrounded by a large number...
"First, we sneak in and grab the valuables. If we're spotted, we bolt immediately."
"Kyahaha! We're not amateurs. We know the basics."
The bandits chortled with glee.
An estate this shabby wouldn't be prepared for a night raid. Even if they were caught, they could just knock everyone out and escape.
A few might get caught if things went wrong, but that was a necessary sacrifice.
With their perfect plan in place, they finally reached the mansion that was, for all intents and purposes, Waryong Manor itself.
High walls.
Thick doors.
Even windows with iron bars.
The mansion, designed to be easily defended against monsters, was like a small fortress.
But Reiker wasn't worried. He simply flicked his tongue and spoke.
"Kag."
"Yessir."
*Clank.*
Kag took out a grappling hook and rope tied to his waist.
He swung it over his head, and with a *whoosh*, it flew up and wrapped tightly around the chimney jutting from the mansion's roof.
"That's our second-in-command!"
"I'm so jealous. If I'd Awakened a Class like [Petty Thief] like him, I'd be filthy rich..."
"Kekeke, and you'd probably gamble it all away just like he does."
"Everyone, quiet. Anyone who makes a sound from now on dies."
"Yessir."
*Swish.*
After using the rope to climb onto the mansion's roof one by one.
They exchanged hand signals and split into groups of five to loot the mansion's four buildings as quickly as possible.
Picking the lock on the roof door, they slipped inside, their movements through the hallway swift and precise.
It was the movement of seasoned professionals who had been active as bandits for years.
*'Tsk, nothing expensive in the hallway, as expected.'*
Kag, the [Petty Thief] and the best expert in the bandit gang, darted his eyes around.
There were at least ten doors on this floor alone.
Which room they hit first could determine whether they struck gold or came up empty.
*'In times like this, you always hit the biggest room first.'*
They hadn't managed to map out the manor's interior, but you could tell a room's size just by looking at its door.
Kag approached the largest door among the many on the top floor.
After confirming it was unlocked, he opened it carefully, making no sound.
*'Ooh, jackpot!'*
From the lavish interior decorations to the large, ornate bed.
Seeing the room, which was clearly a noble's bedroom, Kag gleefully sent a hand signal to his men.
The bandits, equally delighted by the sight, followed Kag, drawing their daggers and creeping toward the bed.
Whoever the owner of this bedroom was.
With a knife to their throat, they'd surely spill where the valuables were hidden.
And so, just as Kag and the other bandits reached the bed, where the blanket bulged upward...
*Kaaang!!!*
"Aaargh!"
"...!!!"
*'No, which one of you idiots started the trouble already?!'*
Hearing the sudden clang of metal and the ensuing scream, Kag cursed inwardly.
He hurriedly threw back the covers and thrust his dagger at the person inside.
Or rather, he tried to.
"I told you to handle this quietly, but you're making such a racket. It seems your training was insufficient."
"...?!?!"
The blunt voice coming from right behind them made Kag and the bandits jump out of their skin.
But before they could even turn around.
An iron fist shot out like lightning, already striking them down.
*Thwack-thwack-thwack!*
"Gah!"
"Guek!"
It was over in an instant.
Trembling in agony along with his men, who had been struck in the solar plexus and collapsed in the blink of an eye.
Kag was horrified.
It wasn't just that they had been subdued by a mere dark elf maid.
It was because of her movements—so fast that he, a nominal 1-star Awakened One, couldn't even react.
*'A h-high-ranking Awakened One...!'*
If it were the White-Masked Young Master, that would be one thing.
But how could there be a high-ranking Awakened One among the likes of dark elves?
As Kag stood dumbfounded by the unimaginable situation.
Another voice was heard.
"You didn't have to take care of them for me."
"If the Young Master were to stain the bedroom with blood, who do you think would have to clean it up?"
"'Stain with blood' is a bit of an exaggeration. I was only going to give their arms and legs a light poke."
*Rustle.*
The boy in the white mask revealed himself, throwing back the covers.
Dion clicked his tongue in disappointment, sheathed his dagger, and walked to the window.
He watched the lizardman rampaging in the garden with an expression of interest.
"Hmm, a [Brawler]☆. For a leader, he's putting up some resistance, I see."
Just as Dion said, Reiker was fighting for his life.
His comrades had already been subdued, but he fought on alone, swinging his sword with a valor that was truly impressive.
One could have mistaken him for a veteran warrior, not the leader of a bandit gang.
There was just one problem.
Reiker's opponent was no ordinary foe.
*Grrrrrr!*
"Kirik! You beast!"
A Hyenain girl swung her claws, a growl rumbling not from her mouth, but from deep in her throat.
Though she was tiny compared to the giant Lizardman, the girl's movements were as fierce and sharp as a hyena's.
Constantly targeted by a dagger aiming for his vitals, Reiker was pushed onto the defensive, his [Brawler] Class rendered useless.
Especially since his movements grew stiff every time the girl's eyes flashed.
And then...
*Twang!*
"Kirik?!"
An arrow pierced his leg like a bolt of lightning.
Staggering from the pain, Reiker was finally subdued by a blow to the jaw from Orr Kai.
Then, slaves appeared from all over, dragging the other bandits with them.
And after all the bandits were subdued, he waved to Arsha, who finally rose from her position on the roof.
Dion murmured softly.
"Hmm, it seems the intense training I put them through in the Labyrinth these past few days paid off."
"...Are you saying that after putting them through several near-death experiences during their training?"
"What choice was there? If you lack talent, you have to work hard."
*'Lack talent?'*
Kag was dumbfounded.
They were a competent bandit gang, with Awakened Ones among them.
To be subdued so easily and then hear such words was simply baffling.
What was more terrifying was that he couldn't dismiss those words as mere bluffing.
The very presence of several high-ranking Awakened Ones was proof that the White-Masked Young Master was no simple con man.
*'Could it be... he wasn't a fraud, but a true scion of the Baekdaesega?'*
Regardless of whether Kag was trembling in fear, Dion chatted leisurely with Parsha.
"What do you think, Parsha? The kids have gotten pretty useful, haven't they?"
"Seeing as they couldn't subdue these bandits in one fell swoop, they still have a long way to go."
"But it's enough to protect a single estate, right?"
"Only by the standards of a small-to-medium estate."
"Which means it's enough."
"..."
Parsha couldn't deny Dion's words any further.
The thirty-one slaves, having grown stronger through Dion's hellish training in the Labyrinth, were now each a capable Awakened One.
Aside from the lack of high-ranking Awakened Ones and soldiers, Waryong Manor's military strength was by no means weak.
"I was just wondering how to advertise our business, and now these walking experience points show up on their own. This is why you should live a good life, you know?"
...Watching the boy who, upon hearing the warning about bandits, had excitedly trained the slaves and was now scheming how to attract even more.
Parsha thought with a deadpan expression.
The biggest changes in Dion since his Awakening were his unhinged mind and his complete lack of conscience.
『Achievement: Estate Defense』
『Achievement: Intruder Hunt』
『[Kitchen Hand]☆ Lv2→ Lv3, [Knifeman]☆ Lv2(New)』
『[Carpenter]☆ Lv2→ Lv3, [Woodcutter]☆ Lv1(New)』
『[Soldier]☆ Lv3→ Lv4, [Spearman]☆ Lv2(New)』
『[Farmer]☆ Lv2→ Lv3, [Trapper]☆ Lv2(New)』
『[Blacksmith]☆ Lv2→ Lv3, [Merchant]☆ Lv2(New)』
『[Archer]☆ Lv3→ Lv4, [Hunter]☆ Lv1(New)』
『[Librarian]☆』...